


A Changing Destiny

by Qurinas



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: New Jedi Order Era - Various, star wars new repuclic era
Genre: Angst, Dubious Consent, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-03-23
Updated: 2001-03-23
Packaged: 2017-10-18 11:06:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/188288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qurinas/pseuds/Qurinas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A person's first time is a very important event.  This story explores Luke's first time, Mara's first time and how the come together themselves years later.  The story stretches from the Rebellion Era into the New Republic Era.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Luke's First TIme

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter takes place shortly after Luke has formed and been given command of Rogue Squadron. The Squadron has taken up residence with other Alliance personnel at their newly occupied secret base.

Commander Luke Skywalker staggered into the briefing room at the hidden rebel base on Ord Mantell. He was panting from his frantic run down numerous stairs from his quarters near the top of the structure to the briefing room, which was on the bottom level near the hanger. He was dressed in his flight suit, which was wrinkled from spending the night balled up at the foot of his bed. It was also obvious that he had no time to hit the refresher since his hair was mussed up and ungroomed.

The only person left in the room was Wedge Antilles, the Executive Officer of Rogue Squadron. Luke looked around at the empty seats and groaned. He turned to look at Wedge, "Did I miss another briefing?"

Wedge didn't even need to answer the question. He simply shook his head then said, "Sithspit, Luke. You look worse than the Emperor."

Luke nodded weakly. "I don’t know what is wrong with me," Luke sighed. "I've been going to bed early enough but I just seem to toss and turn all night."

Wedge leaned back a bit folding his arms across his chest, a grin creasing his lips as he gave Luke the once over. "Maybe you've been entertaining that cute x-wing tech that keeps giving you the 'Wow, Luke Skywalker, Rebel Hero, eyes'. Or maybe it was one of the other thousand women who have thrown themselves at you since the trench run."

Luke sighed, the shy farmboy in him coming out. His cheeks flushed deeply and he cast his eyes towards the floor. "Wedge, come on. You know I could never do that."

Wedge sighed, and shook his head. "Well, maybe you should. It might help you sleep." He grinned devilishly and added, "It's been helping me fall asleep at night." Capping off his statement with a wink.

Luke shook his head in response and attempted to change the subject. "Well, let's try and get some work done." Luke turned and started walking towards the exit.

"Yes, Sir," Wedge responded as he followed Luke out of the briefing room.

They worked their way through the stone corridors of the ancient castle the rebels were using as their base. They ascended the several flights of stairs, eventually reaching the floor Luke's makeshift office was on. All previous banter forgotten, the two officers sat down and began to wade through the stacks of paperwork that needed to be processed while there was a lull in the action against the Empire.

 

* * * *

Finally back in his quarters after what seemed like an eternity of paperwork, Luke finished undressing and crawled into bed with a heavy sigh. He kept on the tank top he wore under his flight suit and a pair of loose fitting silk boxer shorts. "I seem to spend a lot of time doing this," he muttered to himself, thinking about sleep. "But, I still wake up exhausted."

Luke sighed as he snuggled under his light blanket. He felt the cool, humid air on his face and smiled contentedly. ‘At least it's good sleeping weather tonight’ he thought. Luke drifted off to sleep just as R2-D2 shut down fully and began recharging.

As with many other nights over the past few weeks, Luke would find this night to be another without sleep.

But unlike those previous nights, it would not be because of his dreams.

A soft blue glow began to coalesce in the center of the room. The light transformed into a humanoid shape - that of a human woman surrounded by a pale soft blue glow. She was dressed in the dark brown robe of an Old Republic Era Jedi Master. Her long, straight hair had long since gone gray and was pulled back from her face by a leather tie. She had thin and delicate facial features with deep worry lines around her eyes.

Luke tossed restlessly, almost as if he could sense the presence in the room. His eyes open slowly and he sat up in shock as he noticed the glowing form. "Ben?" Luke stammered in confusion. He stared at the ethereal form, blinking his eyes until they had adjusted enough for him to see. "You’re not Ben," he offered lamely.

She smiled at him reassuringly, "I, most certainly, am not. However, he was a good friend of mine." Her smile continued, encompassing not only her mouth but her whole face, especially her eyes. "A very good friend."

Luke swung his legs over the edge of his cot. The smooth cold stone of the old castle felt nice on his bare feet. He stood and tentatively walked over towards the ghostly woman. He stood there obviously in deep thought, trying to think of the right thing to say, but no words were forthcoming.

The figure chuckled softly, "It is alright, young one, we have until the dawn. I am sure you will find the words eventually."

Luke nodded shyly and looked into her eyes. He pushed himself to relax as he opened his mind to the Force. He could feel almost a wave wash over him, as the woman eyes seemed to bore past his flesh to explore directly into his soul. The sensation was rather odd and left him feeling slightly vulnerable.

"You have come further than I had expected. It appears that you will be able to garner more from my teachings than I had originally anticipated," she commented. Luke squinted just a bit as he tried to comprehend the meaning behind her vague statement.

She gestured for him to move into a more comfortable seated position on the bed, as she began to pace the outside of the room. As she walked her right hand absently traced vine-like patterns along the wall. The patterns glowed with the soft blue aura that surrounded her, but faded a moment after her passing. She walked a bit, seeming to enjoying the feeling as her feet carried her gracefully around the room.

"Do you know why it is I have come to you?" she asked as she continued her fluid dance-like walk around the room. Luke shrugged and looked down at the gray stone, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Come, come now. There is nothing more unbecoming than a man who lacks self-confidence," she scolded mildly. "You are a hero of the Rebellion and the predominant heir to the Jedi Tradition."

His cheeks blushed as she spoke. "I….I…" he stammered. He glanced up at her, but quickly cast his eyes back down.

She sighed putting her hands on her hips. "Luke Skywalker, what ever will I do with you?"

The teasing comment made Luke feel very uncomfortable but he couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation for that. Instead, he shrugged again while keeping his blushing cheeks hidden from her view by tilting his head further downward.

"And, what do I need to do to make you stop doing that?" she chuckled.

Luke joined in with a bit of nervous laughter. After the chuckling had died down, she returned to her pacing around the room.

She swung her arm to extend her cloak behind her as she turned to face him and stopped pacing. As the cloak billowed out behind her, Luke got a much better view of the body underneath. He studied the lines of her body intently, looking over every inch. He stared longingly at her supple curves.

She looked over at him and grinned as she discerned the depth of his appraisal. Luke gasped and cast his eyes at the floor, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. "Ummm…sorry," he mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

"It is only natural," she said cryptically, but reassuringly. Luke nodded, though his eyes remained cast down as she slowly walked over to sit on the bed next to him. The soft glow emanating from her cast itself over his boyish features.

Luke turned to look at her and his bright blue eyes sparkled as light from her aura shined in his eyes. His features softened and he smiled softly as he gazed at her. His heart began to beat heavy in his chest as ran his eyes over her beautiful and delicate features. This woman was incredibly beautiful to him, even though she was probably more than thirty years his senior.

She continued to smile warmly as he looked at her, remaining confident and relaxed under his yearning gaze. She allowed him to continue his observation in a silence that was electrifying and anything but awkward. She watched Luke’s eyes glisten as he licked his lips, running his tongue over his slightly trembling lower lip.

Realizing that he had been staring rather rudely, Luke shook his head trying to clear away the fog that had risen up from his heart to obscure his thoughts and obviously, his manners. "What, what is happening?"

She reached out slowly and placed her hand over Luke’s, which rested on his knee. Luke felt a great sense of peace and warmth from her ghostly touch. "This maybe hard for you to understand," she began. "But, you are beginning to realize your destiny. Your teachings have been cut short by the death of Obi-Wan. While there will be others in your future that will act as Masters and Teachers, I am one of the few who can instruct you in the teachings that were my special gift from the Force when I was alive."

Luke’s brow furrowed as he listened, trying to understand what she was saying before potentially looking foolish by asking an inappropriate question. "Your destiny in this is intertwined with two others. Tonight, you will take the first step onto that path," she said, her voice becoming somewhat husky.

As she spoke, Luke felt heat rise to his cheeks. His heart was beating faster and harder, sending blood rushing through his body. He felt the rush in his temples and in the stirring of his loins. After a moment, reality seemed to hit him. "I am not sure how to say this, but how is that possible?" he asked looking at her non-corporeal form.

The Dark Woman smiled at him, "Have no fear, you will see in due time, young one."

Luke nodded, signaling his compliance before she continued. "This matter was complicated greatly by a man now known as Darth Vader. I am sure you are familiar with him."

Her words took the edge off Luke’s desires and sobered him a bit. "Yes, he is the man who murdered not only my father, but Ben too," he said sullenly. The Dark Woman’s eyes almost gave away her surprise, but luckily Luke was not looking at her. She had no idea why the boy thought Darth Vader had murdered Anakin, and did not know that he was, in fact, Anakin Skywalker.

"The list of people he has murdered is long and fairly distinguished, with mine among them. He is the reason that I come before you as an apparition, not as a living being that could teach you the way you should be taught," she said, trying to make it as light as possible, but still drive home her point concerning Darth Vader. "It was my every intention to seek you out. To be able to teach you properly over a much longer time," she sighed heavily. "Sadly, that is no longer possible, so we are left with only tonight."

"The future is always changing, and we must be mindful of that. Your destiny changed greatly the day I was felled by Vader. Now, that destiny has fallen to another," she concluded. A slightly sullen look replaced the look of peace and contentment that had been there before Darth Vader’s name had been mentioned.

Luke looked as if smoke was going to billow from his ears. It was obvious that the information she was giving to him was beginning to overwhelm him. He started to speak several times, but stopped himself each time. Finally giving up, he sat in contemplative silence.

The Dark Woman stood and made her way to the center of the room, where she gracefully lowered herself to the floor. She sat with her legs crossed and her back straight. The look of peace and happiness she had first appeared with had returned to her face. Luke slowly looked up and when his eyes fell upon her he stared fixated. The aura that surrounded her began to glow brighter.

Sensations rushed over him as he stared. He felt feelings of kinship and love flowing off her like water as well as a fiery feeling of lust that seemed to engulf him. The light brightened until it threatened to blind him. He looked away as the aura collapsed in on itself in a brilliant flash. When he turned back, the Dark Woman again sat before him. However, she had shed her ghostly visage for one of flesh and blood.

Luke’s jaw just about hit the floor as he stared at her. He sat paralyzed in shock as she slowly stood from her position on the floor. She walked slowly and seductively over to him. She placed her open hand under his jaw slowly closing his mouth and gently guiding him to his feet. When they stood face to face they were nearly the same height, Luke just a hair taller than she was.

When she leaned in close to whisper in Luke's ear, he could smell the pleasant scent of her hair. It reminded him of wild flowers that grew in the deserts of Tatooine after the rare rains. He felt a previously unknown passion that started in his heart and rushed throughout the rest of his body. Luke had never felt anything like it, and yearned to find out what she had planned for him.

"We have but one night for me to teach you the Tantric Force. It is a piece of the puzzle you will come to know as the Living Force. It has to do with the passionate side of love, lust, passion, sexuality and procreation," she breathed huskily in his ear.

"I am your eager and willing student," he moaned as her breath touched his ear. She placed her hands flat on his chest, softly stroking as she leaned in and their lips met. At first Luke wasn't sure what to do, he had certainly kissed girls before, but those kisses had been nothing like this. He tried to control himself and yield to her, parting his lips slightly. She pulled back slightly as her tongue crept out of her mouth as she ran in lightly across his top lip. He followed her lead and their tongues met and danced as their lips held the lightest contact.

Soon these light touches were no longer enough and Luke pushed hard against her lips and their kiss deepened. Luke felt a cool rush of air brush his exposed cheek and whip at his hair as a gust of wind rushed in through the window. They continued their passionate kiss as the wind rose to a frenzied pace, rushing about the room.

Luke felt his feet leave the floor as he tightened his arms around his teacher's back. The pair floated a few feet off the ground above the bed as the wind buffeted them and pulled at their hair and clothes. Luke felt a sense of movement and broke the kiss to look around. As soon as he did, he felt her lips softly kissing the soft skin of his neck before latching onto a spot near the base of his neck.

Luke gasped as he felt the pressure of her insistent kiss on his neck and her teeth bite him teasingly. His rolled back in his head as the pair floated through the air towards the window leading into temperate night sky. In the very back of Luke's mind, he felt as if he should have felt some apprehension at floating through the air, out a window that was twenty meters above the ground. However, he felt no fear only desire and contentment.

As they cleared the window, Luke returned his attentions to her lips, kissing her hungrily and running his hands firmly but gently through her hair. Once their feet softly touched the ground, they hesitantly broke their kiss and embrace. The Dark Woman took his hand and led him off into Ord Mantell's dense forest.

Once they could no longer see the lights from the Rebel base, she led him off the trail into a wooded grove. Flowering vines edged the clearing, which was overhung by a sparse canopy allowing the night's bright starlight to shine down. She led Luke to a large willow tree at the northern edge of the grove and guided him so he stood with his back against the tree.

They stood staring into each other's eyes before she reached out her right hand to softly caress his cheek before running her fingers through his hair. Luke resumed his role as student by placing both his hands behind her head at the base of her neck. He then began softly running his nails across her soft skin and allowing his hands to roam to her back.

Luke felt a sensation brush against his consciousness. Even though, he had little practice or training touching the Force, he instinctively knew that is what had touched him. He tried to calm himself to mimic what she had done. As he did, she lunged for his ear catching it between her lips and kissing it roughly, allowing her breath to escape as she did. Luke shuddered under her kiss, just as he was reaching out with the Force. He was unable to stop himself as his blood seemed to boil under the attention his ear had just received.

The Force seemed to erupt from him to crash into the Dark Woman. They were both so open to the Force that he could see the patterns being created. The feelings Luke had sent at her appeared as a red smoke that danced in rivulets around her body. A throaty moan escaped her lips as the sensations Luke created danced over her body.

"That's it," she moaned as she softly dug her fingernails into Luke's chest. She quickly dropped her hands to the bottom hem of his light tank top and whipped it over his head in one fluid motion. Luke followed her lead and took her hand, slowly spinning her around so that she was facing away from him with her back against his stomach. Luke moaned as she gently pushed her hips against his, softly grinding against his arousal.

He curled his fingers around the collar of her robe, swiftly drawing it down and spinning her in the process, she whirled on her toes away from him. The pair chuckled lightheartedly as she quickly leaped back to embrace him. Their lips met and she rested her hands on his shoulders, with her arms completely straight and her back arched. Luke took the hint and dropped his hands to the belt holding her pants and tunic in place. He quickly undid the three buckles holding it together and allowed the belt to drop at their feet before grabbing the bottom of her tunic.

Luke broke the kiss to allow her tunic passage over her head. He did not wait more than a second after its removal to reinitiate the passionate kiss. Luke brought his hands to her chest and softly caressed her breasts. She sighed as he stroked her soft, sensitive skin.

Luke decided it was time to take some initiative and ran his hands down her back until he came to the waist of her pants. He hooked his thumbs in the band and slowly eased them over her hips. She placed her hand behind his head and broke their kiss. Slowly kissing down his chest she stopped at the nipple over his heart, which she took between her lips drawing a gasp from Luke. "Initiative, I like that in a student," she said huskily.

Luke pulled at the fabric covering her hips until it fell to pool around her ankles. She stepped out of her pants then lowered herself to the ground, keeping her hand on Luke's neck to direct him to follow. Luke quite willingly followed as she guided him to place his head on her chest. He marked his arrival by placing a soft, wet kiss directly in between her breasts before running his tongue and lips in delicate patterns across her chest. Occasionally, he paused to nibble gently or increase the pressure to evolve it into a yearning kiss.

The Dark Woman squirmed under his caress as her breath quickened, punctuated by sharp intakes of breath. Luke felt her place the palm of her hand on top of his head. He felt a gentle pressure guiding him to slide lower down her body. He instantly knew what she wanted him to do and a spike of fear seemed to stab into his mind.

"Shhhhhh…." She soothed, sensing his apprehension. "This is no time for fear. Fear is of the Darkside, and the Darkside has no place in a union of love."

Luke felt her soothing caress both physically and from within the currents of the Force surrounding them. Her touch eased his fear and reassured him. He looked up at her, and smiled sweetly, yet provocatively before lowering his face to kiss her navel. He placed a hand on her knee and eased her legs apart. He slid his body down to rest on the forest floor, with his head just between her thighs.

As Luke brought his lips in contact with her already quite aroused center, a deep moan escaped her throat seeming to emerge from the very center of her being. Luke kissed and caressed her with his lips and tongue as his hand slipped beneath the band of his shorts. He ran his hand along his erection teasing himself and increasing his passion. As he felt his pleasure building, he used the Force to channel that energy to her.

Luke could see the red tendrils emerge from himself to slowly wrap themselves around the Dark Woman's body. The instant they first came in contact with her, a moan that lasted nearly a minute erupted from her. Luke continued the assault upon her senses with his lips and mouth, aided all the while by the Force.

Luke watched as the muscles in her stomach tightened and listened as her moans became louder and more hurried. He made one last push with the Force trying to stimulate every nerve in her body as her body tightened and she dug hers nails into his shoulders. Her body slackened as a near scream of unadulterated pleasure echoed through the glade.

Luke shimmied up, a smug grin on his face. She took his head in her hands and met his lips in a soft, sensuous kiss. The Dark Woman broke the kiss and softly caressed his cheek. She smiled warmly as Luke felt something first brush against his leg before wrapping itself around his ankle.

Luke gasped in surprise as he looked down to see the flowered vines wrapping themselves around his ankles and wrists. At first, he resisted them until he felt a wave of reassurance from his teacher then he yielded to the vines. He allowed them to lift him from his face down position to a few feet off the ground, where they turned him over to lay flat on his back, pinning his arms and legs to the forest floor. Once he was held in place, the soft pedals of the flowers began to caress his body as the vines continued their sensual swaying.

Luke saw the Dark Woman lean over him and begin kissing his chest and neck. The stimulation created by the flowers as well as her lips were nearly unbearable. Every time something touched him, he inhaled sharply or moaned with pleasure. He felt his control nearly shatter as her lips came in contact with his aroused member.

Luke opened his eyes, looking in awe at the Force energy she was emitting. He could see his body, as well as the vines and her body bathed in a lavender fog that seemed to cling to everything. He leaned his head back as his eyes slammed shut. Pleasure from the attentions that her mouth was paying to him, drove him to the edge of release. As the sensation began to overwhelm him, he felt a pressure from an area inside his body.

The pressure within his was coming from the Force itself. The Dark Woman had applied it to a very sensitive part of his anatomy dampening the sensation of climax. She lifted her head to look up at him. "Not yet," she breathed.

Luke moved his arms only to have them held firmly in place as if the vines were steel cables. He relented and the pressure retreated, but they still held him in place. The Dark Woman crouched above him, holding herself mere inches from his loins. She slowly eased herself down onto him and a loud moan erupted from both of them.

As they looked at each other, they could see the lavender fog billowing around them. Each caress of the fog created such a yearning and feeling of love that Luke thought his heart was going to burst. Slowly she began to move, building both of their passions.

Luke reached for her again, but the vines held him firmly in place. However, this time he struggled against them. His blue eyes flared with passion and desire. I long to touch you, he sent telepathically, not even sure how he had done.

No, she sent back firmly while holding him securely in place. She increased the pace steadily. Luke moaned and thrashed as she ran her hands over his chest and the flowers caressed the rest of his naked body. Luke felt his climax building in his loins, and felt and saw her stomach muscles contracting.

They both screamed, their slowly built passion erupting like a volcano. The vines slackened their grasp as the Dark Woman slumped forward, burying her face against Luke's neck. Luke brought his arms up to embrace and hold her close. The two held each other tightly as they snuggled until their breathing slowed.

Reluctantly she pulled back, eased herself off him and lay down beside him. They both continued to run Force currents along each other bodies, the sensations touching their very souls. The Jedi Master nestled herself into the crook of his arm. Soon his body relaxed and he fell asleep with her in his arms.

 

* * * *

Luke snapped awake when he heard someone pounding on his door. He groggily threw himself out of bed and stumbled toward it. "What is it!" he snapped as he keyed the doors open. They slid apart to reveal a slightly amused Wedge Antilles.

"You're gonna be late if you don't get up. Your chrono has been going off for almost an hour…" he stopped suddenly, leaning forward to get a closer look. As he stared intently at Luke’s neck, Wedge chuckled, a huge smile playing across his lips. "Way to go," he said slugging him in the shoulder. "She still in here?" Wedge asked, leaning in trying to see into Luke's quarters.

"Who? What in the name of Old Republic are you talking about?" Luke asked sleepily. Wedge placed his hands on Luke’s shoulders and steered his not quite awake Commander over to the mirror hanging against the wall. Luke rubbed his eyes and leaned in towards the mirror. He saw a black and blue mark right at the base of his neck. It almost looked like he had been in a fistfight.

Wedge laughed even harder as recognition came to Luke's face. "A love bite. You have a love bite!"

Luke groaned as Wedge continued his verbal assault. "So, who was it? It was the x-wing tech, wasn't it?" Wedge accused. Luke only shook his head, praying he wouldn’t start blushing. "It was! I knew it!" Wedge shrieked.

"Enough, enough. Ok?" Luke pleaded. He sat on his bed and scratched his head, the events of the night before still quite cloudy in his mind's eye. He sighed as he attempted to order his thoughts. After a few moments, he asked Wedge, "Do me a favor. Get the morning briefing going. I'll be there in a bit. Ok?"

Wedge considered renewing his attack, but decided against it after seeing Luke's puzzled expression. "Ok, Boss. You got it." Wedge was going to ask if everything was all right, but changed his mind. Luke was already donning his clothes as Wedge turned to exit his quarters.

Luke threw on his boots and took off in a trot down the path he recalled from the night before. He quickened his pace as more details came to his mind. He skidded to a halt as neared the glade, his jaw dropping at what he saw and felt.

The glade was overflowing with flowers from the blooming vines. There must have been ten times as many flowers as he remembered from the night before. As a result, the area throbbed with life, which he felt through his connection to the Force. ‘The Living Force…’ he thought to himself recalling the phrase his teacher had used the night before.

Luke smiled weakly and closed his eyes, bringing up warm and pleasant memories of the previous evening. He turned his face to the sky, feeling the rays of the sun caress and warm him. As he stood, his mind whirled as he thought about the woman he had shared his first night with. A woman, whom he had known for not even an hour. A woman, a Jedi Master whom had passed to the Force, who's name he didn't even know.


	2. Mara's First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mara's training is nearly complete. She is now ready to grow into her role as Emperor's Hand. Her first mission, her first love and learning what will be required of her awaits young Mara as our story begins...

Sixteen year old Mara Jade lay sprawled on her back across the couch in her richly appointed apartment in the Imperial Palace. The front of her tunic was partially undone and her bra had long since been unclasped leaving it hanging loosely from her shoulders. A few inches away from her, a young man rested on his right elbow, leaning over her. He looked into her eyes, fires of passion burning brightly within both them.

Appearing to be a few years older than Mara, the young man had clear pale skin and straight black hair with that the bangs hung into his eyes. His bright blue eyes shone like sapphires in firelight. His features were quite a contrast to the girl beneath him with her fire red mane and emerald eyes. But like the young lady lying under him, his hair was tussled, his tunic hung completely open and his trousers were unbuttoned.

He leaned down to kiss her neck and Mara inhaled sharply with pleasure as he kissed, licked and nibbled. He continued his meandering, lightly tracing lines from the top of her chest to her ears making sure to gently caress the lobes with his tongue.

She placed her hands on the back of his neck, gently but firmly pulling him away from her neck and bringing his lips to hers. She kissed him passionately allowing his tongue to part her lips and explore her mouth. She broke the kiss and panted, "No more with the neck, ok? If you leave any more marks down there, I’ll have to hurt you." She grinned devilishly. "I am much further along in my training. Don’t think I can’t."

Ignoring her comments, he planted another firm and yearning kiss on her lips. Mara’s head spun as desire built in her heart and in the pit of her stomach. She slowly lowered her hands from his neck, running her fingers gently along his flanks. She stopped at the waist of his pants and brought her hands to the front of his trousers. She slowly placed her hands on his swelling erection. He indulged himself in the feeling for just a moment. He then pulled back like a startled felinoid.

Mara sighed in frustration. ‘Not again,’ she groaned in her mind. "What’s wrong?" she pouted.

He shook his head, a sad smile appearing on his face. "Mara, we’ve talked bout this."

She leaped up from the couch and pulled her tunic shut. She sauntered over to him, leaning her head against his bare, muscular chest. She ran her index finger in circles across his chest playfully flicking his nipples on the way by. "Is it because you don’t want me?" she purred.

He took her firmly by the shoulders and pushed her back. He looked her square in the eye with a resolute and stern expression on his face. "You know that is not true," he stressed. "I just don’t want to rush things. I want you to be ready and I want it to be special."

She spun away from him angrily. "I am ready so stop treating me like a child!" she shouted, her cheeks flushing an angry red. When he cast his soft blue eyes at the floor, Mara realized she had gone too far. "I’m sorry," she muttered softly.

He shrugged, "It’s alright." He walked over slowly and embraced her. She tentatively reached out with the Force and felt the lust and desire that rushed through him. He remained quite aroused even after their little tiff.

In a flash of movement, she dropped her hand to the bulge in his trousers and grabbed hold firmly, his escaping moan swallowed as she planted her lips on his again. She could feel his resolve evaporating as she pushed him back onto the couch. She pulled his shirt from his shoulders as he fell back. Her lips left his as she began to softly kiss her way down his chest.

Mara's fingers finally lowered his zipper and grasped the waist of his pants pulling them down none too gently. The pants gathered at his feet as she worked her fingers around the waistband of his underwear pushing them down to his knees.

She felt him starting to resist again and she placed her left hand strongly on his chest urging him to remain still and seated. She laid her head on his leg with her right cheek against his left thigh. She looked in amazement at what she saw a few inches from her face. This was the first time he had allow her to even touch it, let alone look at it.

She gently kissed his manhood tentatively at first until her passion took her and she did so with less reserve. His breath quickened and soft moans escaped his lips every few seconds. Abruptly she stopped and stood. She pulled her trousers and panties over her hips then kicked them to the other side of the room. He tried to stand but she placed her right foot on his chest pressing him back onto the couch. She knelt with her legs around his. She slowly eased her way closer to position herself directly over him. They looked into each other’s eyes as their lips met, expressions of yearning and passion evident on each other’s faces.

She was a mere centimeter away from lowering herself on him when the door to her living quarters whooshed open. Mara’s heart jumped into her throat as she nimbly leaped from his lap and over the couch to hide her exposed body. Looking at the doorway, the multitude of angry accusations and insults she had for the intruder died before ever reaching her lips. A spike of fear flowed through her as she heard mechanical breathing and saw the Dark Lord of the Sith standing there with his cloak flowing out behind him.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked with no emotion or amusement in his voice. It was obvious that her lover was scared, for his erection had wilted away as fear radiated from him.

Mara was dumbfounded. "What do you want?" she asked. She tried to sound forceful but the words came out in a fearful squeak.

"Our Master has instructed me to escort you to your training, immediately. Your instructor is waiting for you," Vader informed her. He had not moved at all since he had arrived a few moments earlier.

"Very well, Lord Vader," she said her composure slowing returning to her. "If you would wait outside."

Vader paused before replying, making it appear that he would not comply with her wishes. However, he turned quickly and walked out of the room the doors closing behind him. On his way out he spoke over his shoulder, "you are dismissed, Fiorri. Return to you studies and I mean your proper studies."

Fiorri was white as a ghost as Vader left the room. He quickly pulled his pants up and fastened them. It seemed he could not escape Mara’s quarters fast enough. She knew his fear had not diminished since Vader left, and she did not need the Force to figure that out.

"Fiorri, calm down. It’s ok," she said trying to make her tone as soothing as possible.

"I know," he stammered not at all convincingly. "I’ll see you tomorrow. I am sure my training will be late tonight." He hurried out the door before Mara could say another word to him. She sighed as she swept her pants off the floor and walked into her bedchamber.

She felt slightly dizzy as she entered her bedroom and her thoughts turned to Fiorri. How their relationship had developed over the past few months. She absently changed into her training clothes as memories of their first meeting and subsequent romance danced through her mind.

Mara had met Fiorri nearly six months ago. Emperor Palpatine had introduced them on the young man's first day in the Imperial Palace. He had informed her that Fiorri also had the ability to touch the Force and that he would begin his training under Lord Vader.

Over the next month or so, she got to know him pretty well. Even though they did not train together, they were allowed to associate after their day's training was complete. Mara jumped at the chance since she had never had much opportunity to interact with many people in general, let alone kids around her age.

Their friendship had quickly developed into more, as would be expected between two teenagers with raging hormones. However, Fiorri had always made sure that it never led to actual lovemaking. They would play their little games of sexual cat and mouse, leading to a lot of kissing and petting. But, it had never even come close to the next level. Until today, that is.

Mara had grown tired of the game couple of months ago. She decided the waiting had to end and had tried to get him to make love to her almost everyday since. However, there was some reason that he would not. Every time she had tried to talk to him about it, he evaded the question hiding behind excuses of "waiting for the proper time" or "making sure she was ready".

And now that she was so close to achieving her goal, Darth Vader had to come and ruin it for her. Fate was playing a cruel trick on her. Fate seemed to be adamant that she would remain a virgin forever. She finished dressing and stormed out of her quarters. She noticed that Vader and Fiorri were gone by the time she emerged. She looked around, and when she did not see them, trotted off in the direction of the training area.

Fiorri quaked in fear as he walked down the corridor escorted by Darth Vader. Just after they had turned the corner so the were out of sight of Mara’s room, Vader grabbed him by the elbow spinning him around as he came to a halt.

"You are less intelligent than I thought, boy," Vader’s mechanical voice hissed around his raspy breathing. He tightened his grip on Fiorri’s elbow as the boy winced in pain.

"I’m sorry, Lord Vader," he stuttered as he could no longer feel his fingers from the tightness of Vader’s grip. "I…"

Vader cut him off my slamming him forcefully into the wall. "Do not bother to give your pathetic excuses to me. Save them for the Emperor," Vader replied tersely before continuing to drag him down the hall. He took every opportunity to slam him into any fixture or doorway he found along the way from Mara’s quarters to the throne room.

About ten minutes later a stunned, sore and bruised Fiorri was tossed to the floor of the throne room at the feet of the Emperor. Palpatine was seated on the dais, his yellow eyes shining eerily from underneath the deep cowl he wore over his head. "Thank you Lord Vader," he said as he stood with the help of his cane. He strode over to where Fiorri was still sprawled on the floor where Vader had tossed him. His breathing was heavy and ragged and the Sith Master seemed to absorb the feelings of pain radiating from his body.

Palpatine leaned over slightly and spoke in his raspy voice. "You seem to have trouble following simple instructions." He tilted his head feigning deep thought. "I seem to recall giving you very specific instructions when I hired you."

Palpatine motion with his head from Lord Vader to Fiorri. Vader quickly strode over to him, roughly grabbing him by the shoulders and hauled him to his feet. The young man tried to compose himself as Vader let go. The Emperor spoke again, "So, were my instructions clear?"

Fiorri could not keep the fear from his voice as he answered. "Yes Emperor, you were very clear."

"Then, why is it boy, that you disobeyed my orders and violated the contract we made when I hired you?" Palpatine asked in a patronizing tone.

"I…I did not, Your Excellency. I had the situation completely under control…" Fiorri's voice faded out as a fist slammed into the back of his head. Vader stood over him as he slumped to the floor again. As the boy hit the ground, another vicious punch slammed into his kidney.

He cried out in pain as Vader’s power fists pummeled him. The Emperor stood emotionless as Vader rained punches down upon the boy who was powerless to stop him. After a minute, Palpatine motioned for Vader to stop. "Now what was it again that I hired you to do?"

Fiorri panted and groaned in pain. He was laying face down on the floor and blood was beginning to run from his mouth. He managed to lift his head a mere inch off the floor and groaned, "You hired me to teach Mara the arts of love making and other arts of seduction." The old man hissed impatiently for Fiorri to continue. "You also said that I was not to engage in any act that could possible leave her with child."

"Ah," the old man muttered. "And it would appear that you chose to disobey the last part of your orders, didn’t you?"

"No, Emperor," he said with pleading eyes looking up at the withered man. "I would never disobey you. I was just about to push her off me when Lord Vader walked in. I was teaching her the art of…" He cried out as Vader’s boot impacted on his right should slamming his face into the floor, ending whatever excuse he was offering to Vader’s Master.

"You lie poorly, boy," the Emperor hissed. "Your guild will not be pleased with what you have done. You’re nothing but a whore. I told you that there was no way you would be allowed to handle her in such a manner. However, you chose not to listen."

"Please…I won’t do it again…" he sobbed realizing his fate.

"You are right. You will pay for your lack of vision. And I guarantee you will never do it again!" he said, fury rising in his sickly yellow eyes.

Lord Vader’s arm quickly snatched the dangling lightsaber from his belt. The blade emerged from the handle with a snaphiss, as he moved to stand over the broken, battered and now sobbing, Fiorri.

Mara Jade entered her quarters, returning from a very intensive training session. Her body ached all over and she was looking forward to hopping in the refresher then immediately going to bed. For some reason her training had ended much earlier than normal today. But, she did not question the break, instead welcoming it as a chance to rest.

It had been two days since she had last seen her boyfriend. However, that was not too unusual given their very strict, yet very different training regiments. The thought of her soft bed and dreams of Fiorri made her smile as she walked into her bedchamber. She even secretly hoped that he might swing by when he was done for the day.

She stopped short as she saw several things had been laid out on her bed. The most noticeable was a dress. However, as she approached she saw her holdout blaster with its wrist holster, a comlink and matching jacket and shoes had been left as well. She picked up the dress to look at it and under it sat a datapad.

She held the dress up in front of her to examine it. The elegantly styled dress was emerald green with two long slits up the sides revealing much even though the fabric would cover her ankles once it was on. It had no strap on the right, but the left shoulder was covered and a long, billowy sleeve would cover her left arm. ‘A perfect place for that cute little blaster,’ she thought to herself as she laid it back down on the bed and picked up the data pad.

She scrolled through the screens and looked at the information held within. The first screen was a dossier of Vice Admiral Ruben Hulbak. It detailed his Imperial Service record as well as physical statistics like height, weight, and hair color. It also contained a picture of a mildly over-weight man in his mid to late fifties. He had short graying hair that was beginning a retreat from his brow towards the back of his head.

The next was a diagram of the Grand Imperial Chalet, including directions to the Vice Admiral’s suite. It showed all entrances and exits, as well as a floor plan for each level and surveillance camera shots of Hulbak’s room.

She hadn’t finished reading, when the door chimed sounded alerting her she had a visitor. She tossed the data pad on the bed as she ran to the door. Her heart pounding wildly in her chest as she envisioned Fiorri waiting at the door to jump into her arms, then hopefully immediately into her bed.

A flash of disappointment and shock played across her face as the opening door revealed a scarlet robed Imperial Guardsman standing at perfect attention in front of her. Behind him was a servant girl carrying what appeared to be a beautician’s kit.

"The servant is here to assist you in readying yourself. Then I am to escort you to His Excellency’s Throne Room," the robed figure said from behind his scarlet mask.

Mara nodded as she stood aside to allow the pair to enter. The guardsman took up a position immediately inside the door while the young servant girl stopped in the center of the room. The girl was obviously shy or nervous, perhaps even a little of both. Her arms were crossed in front of her, both hands holding the handle of her kit. She stood, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably with her eyes cast down.

Mara not sure what to do, spoke to the young girl, "What is your name?" she asked trying to sound as friendly as possible.

"Tanya," she replied. "Whenever you are ready to begin, Mistress."

It had been quite a while since she had the help of a servant to dress. She had vague memories of servants helping her prepare for balls and such when she was a child, but not anytime recently. Not sure of what to make of the situation she said, "Well, you’re the expert. Let me know where you would like me to sit."

The servant girl nodded. "Follow me, Mistress," she said as she turned and lead Mara towards the refresher. She quickly walked in and turned the water on to draw a bath. She exited the refresher holding the door for Mara. "If you would undress and robe yourself, I will be in momentarily."

Mara’s cheeks blushed. ‘She’s going to bathe me?’ she thought. ‘I am not a child! Are wealthy women such decadents that they don’t even bathe themselves?’ She nodded quickly before entering the room to have the door shut behind her.

Feeling very uncomfortable she quickly undressed and threw her silk robe around her body. An instant later she heard a knock at the door, quickly followed by it opening and the servant walking in shutting the door behind her. She kept her eyes on the floor as she walked past Mara kneeling down beside the nearly full tub.

She laid her case on the floor and opened it taking out a few bottles to place them on the edge of the tub. She began a complex pattern of mixing different liquids in certain proportions before dumping them into the tub. She stood after a few minutes of preparing the tub. "Mistress," said as she gestured towards the tub. She turned her back to Mara waiting for her to disrobe and step into it.

Mara threw the robe from her shoulders and nearly dove into the tub. With the sound of splashing evidence that Mara had entered the tub, she turned around and picked up soaps and sponges from her kit before leaning over Mara to begin washing her.

Mara was put somewhat at ease by the fact that the girl went about her tasks clinically, with her eyes almost never glancing at Mara’s very exposed body. And when she did, it was almost always at her feet, hands or head. Mara was actually beginning to enjoy this very relaxing process towards the end. She was expecting the process to end when all of her body except her most private areas had been washed.

She was just about to stand when she felt the servant girls sponge begin to clean one of those areas. Mara tried hard to sit still and simply endure. It was obvious to her that she was not supposed to derive any sort of pleasure from the process for it was quick and not particularly gentle, it was simply washing what needed to be washed.

By the time Tanya was finished, Mara was tense and uncomfortable again. The servant rose and picked up a towel just after she hit the level to drain the tub. Mara stood to see the servant standing with a towel in one hand and a metal syringe in the other. "What’s that for?" Mara asked nervously. She had always hated needles.

"It is by order of, His Excellency. He told me to inform you that…" She stopped at it was obvious to Mara the young girl was trying to remember what was said exactly. "…That, this is to prevent the more inconvenient outcomes of what Lord Vader interrupted the previous evening."

Mara’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 'How could her Master say such a thing to a servant girl,' she thought angrily as she felt a painful prick just below her navel. She looked down to see the long needle had been inserted into her abdomen. Tears welled up in her eyes as Tanya emptied the contents into her body with a painful burning sensation.

Tanya quickly, but carefully removed the needle and swabbed the area with an antiseptic cloth. An instantly later, Mara was wrapped in a towel and being dried off. The servant tucked the end of the towel so it stayed on Mara’s body. She walked towards the door keeping her eyes averted. "If you would don your robe and come out, I will do your hair and make-up," she said as she exited the room and closed the door behind her.

Mara took off the towel and threw her robe back on. She took a few soothing breaths to help her relax before walking out of the refresher. Seeing the chair Tanya had set in front of her bedroom mirror, Mara strode forward and flopped down into it. "Make sure you go light, I don’t want to look like a courtesan," Mara quipped.

The servant chuckled nervously. ‘That was a strange reaction,’ Mara thought. Not giving it any more thought, she sat still going through the tedious ordeal of having her hair styled and make-up applied. After nearly an hour, Tanya had completed her task and helped Mara into her dress.

With her dress, jacket and shoes were on and her blaster hidden away, she was ready. She picked up her matching purse which held some very mundane make-up items, as well as a couple of datapads and her comlink. As she walked out of her bedroom, she noticed that the fragrances that had been apparent in the bath had become quite strong as they had dried. ‘I smell like I belong in a brothel," she grumbled to herself as she walked out of her bedroom and up to the guardsman.

She nodded to him and followed him as he exited the room and led her through a labyrinth of hallways to the Emperor’s Throne Room. The doors slid open into a cavernous room she had visited more times than she could possibly remember. Palpatine was seated in his throne with Lord Vader standing to his right. Vader’s raspy breathing echoed through the chamber. Her tall heels clicked on the hard floor as she walked towards her Master to kneel before him. "You summoned me, my Master?"

"Rise, My Hand," he said, smiling a grin of broken and rotten teeth. "You look quite beautiful. Very different than your normal palace attire."

She smiled uncomfortably. She was not used to the old man complimenting her on anything other than her budding Force abilities. "Thank you, Master," she said not knowing what else to say.

"I have a very important mission for you," he said. He leaned forward folding his hands in front of his face with an elbow resting on each knee. "I have trained you myself and made sure you had the best teachers in all other things. I believe that the first stages of your training are complete and you are ready for your first mission."

Mara beamed with pride. She had never been given any indication that her training was going that well. The thought that the Emperor believed her ready to carry out a mission for him filled her with a joy she had never known before. She had succeeded in her training. Even though she was sure there would be more instruction, she had made it over this hurtle and was sure she would be able to overcome anything to aid her Master.

"I am sure you went over the information in the data pad I had left for you," the Emperor said in his gravely tone. Mara acknowledged him with a nod. "The man’s dossier within it is a suspected rebel agent. We believe him to be responsible for getting the Death Star’s plans to the Rebellion."

Darth Vader spoke for the first time since she had entered the room. "He is a Vice-Admiral commanding a Fleet on the outer rim. His homeworld was cleansed after a rebel base was found their being supported by the populace."

"We have received reports that a rebel agent is to meet him within the Imperial Chalet tonight while is on Coruscant for a conference," Palpatine continued. "You will meet him there posing as that rebel agent."

"It is very important for you to remain there until the actual agent arrives. At that time, you are to neutralize the Vice Admiral and the rebel. You will recover whatever information you can before returning to me. Understood?" Palpatine asked.

"As it is your will, it will be done," Mara stated subserviently.

"Excellent," the withered Sith hissed.

Vader walked forward to hand her another data pad. She took it from him and began to scroll through it. It detailed and organization called the Hedoneese Courtesan’s Guild. It even had information about a known rebel sympathizer in the group named Julisia Vatuaine.

"You are to gain entrance to see him using this identity and will keep him occupied by whatever means necessary until the Rebel agent arrives," the Emperor instructed as Mara shivered at his words. "You have a problem with this, my Hand?" he hissed seeing her reaction.

"No, my Master," she said trying to suppress another shiver.

"Good," he said leaning back in his throne. "I would hate to think that you were questioning me. Or do you not wish to serve me with all your body and soul."

Mara only bowed slowly and deliberately hoping not to arouse the Emperor’s anger. Vader, who was still standing by her produced another data pad from beneath his cloak and handed it to her. "This is the information that you are carrying for the Admiral as Julisia Vatuaine," he said unable to hide the contempt for the rebel sympathizer from his voice.

She took the data pad and attempted to scrutinize the information. Each time it prompted her for a passcode she did not have. She looked questioningly up at her Master. "If he is, in fact, the rebel traitor, he will know the code to open it. My new Intelligence Director has guaranteed me such," Palpatine answered her unspoken question.

"You will have little more than an hour to reread your cover and mission details," Palpatine growled. "At that time you should report to the landing pad for the shuttle to take you over to Chalet to begin your mission.

"Yes, my Master," she said bowing respectfully before quickly escaping from the throne room. She made her way quickly to the room she did most of her planning in. It had a small but clear workspace and a data terminal to give her access to Imperial Intelligence data.

She sat down at the table and spread out the data pads before her. She spent the next hour developing possible escape routes and alternative plans in case things did not go the way they were supposed to. When she was done she reviewed the primary and two secondary plans for her extraction after her targets had been eliminated. She also searched the Intell database to see what else she could drum up about the alleged traitor.

She had finished as was just gathering up her things when a red robed Imperial Guard entered. "Your shuttle has arrived," he said, his voice slightly muffled under the duraplast helmet. She nodded and piled the datapads and information she would not be taking with her neatly on the desk before following the guard out of the briefing room.

She knew that another guardsman would destroy the sensitive documents as soon as she took off in the shuttle. She walked through the heavy double doors leading onto the shuttle pad. The sun had just set and the sky appeared to be on fire. Beautiful shades of red and orange highlighted the plethora of shuttle and starship traffic as it flashed overhead.

A scruffy looking man stood by the entrance to the shuttle and lowered the ramp as Mara approached. She recognized him as one of Darth Vader’s personal pilots. He had obviously been informed that he was going to fly in an undercover operation a few days ago, otherwise he would have never dared look as unkempt and unprofessional as he did.

Mara climbed abroad and took a seat near the first window. The pilot followed her up and closed the ramp before taking his seat in the cockpit. She had just gotten her restraints in place when the pilot brought the engines roaring to life.

The shuttle raised on it repulsor lifts for a moment before the pilot disengaged them. The shuttle dropped like a wounded mynock. Mara’s stomach tried to leave her abdomen and enter her throat. Mara was pressed hard into her seat as the pilot broke the dive and accelerated away.

The maneuver was not wholly unexpected since Mara knew the pilot would have to originate his flight plan from somewhere other than the Imperial Palace for their cover to look at all legitimate, as the mission plan she had read called for. That way, if the Admiral chose to dig into her background, something so blatantly obvious would not be immediately available to him.

She sat unworried as the shuttle banked, climbed and dived between the tall building surrounding the Palace District. After about twenty minutes of jarring twists and turns the shuttle landed at a small pad near a well-known merchant district a fair distance from the Palace.

The shuttle sat on the pads for a few minutes before she heard the pilot softly speaking into the communit. She knew exactly what conversation was taking place. The pilot was getting clearance from the controller to take off on the "legitimate" flight plan that would bring her to the Hotel.

The pilot got clearance and lifted off slowly. This time, he flew more like a nervous new pilot than an elite Imperial Flight Officer did. They droned along for about ten minutes before making a lazy, looping approach to land on the shuttle pad of the Grand Imperial Chalet.

The pilot made a hard, but relatively safe landing, demonstrating both his feigned inexperience and novice piloting skills. Mara slowly unclipped her lap belt and stood. She straightened her dress before quickly looking in a pocket mirror to make sure her make-up still looked perfect. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she made her way to the loading ramp.

The pilot had just lowered the ramp when she reached it. She carefully stepped down and made her way across the pad. The pilot was already buttoning up the ship to depart by the time Mara had made her way to the stormtrooper standing guard.

She approached him, slowly reaching her hand into her purse to retrieve her forged credentials. She felt only bored detachment from the guard as he glanced at her ID card. He spent more time evaluating her and the fine curves she created in the dress than her ID. He waved her by with one last glance at her backside as she walked through the doors leading into the chalet.

‘Incompetent fool,’ she spat in her mind. ‘He should have given that ID much more scrutiny. The Emperor will not be pleased when he is told. That trooper will make a good scapegoat when a fine Imperial Officer is found murdered,’ she thought to herself.

Mara realized that if his behavior was at all indicative of the typical make mindset of men paying much more attention to the aesthetics of a woman than scrutinizing her as a security risk, her missions were going to be much easier than she had first expected.

Mara wandered the corridors of the huge chalet for about ten minutes. She knew exactly where she needed to go, but performed her little act for the sake of the security cameras. She finally made her way to the proper floor. The lift doors whooshed open to reveal a large antechamber leading to a grand suite. Two stormtroopers stood guard on either side of the door.

As soon as she stepped out of the lift the guard on the right shot his hand out to grab her. Mara immediately knew the attack was coming, but a simple courtesan would not have been able to defend against it. So, she allowed herself to be grabbed, none too gently, immediately above her right elbow. She let out a startled shriek and stumbled slightly under the pressure of his hand.

His mechanically altered voice came from beneath his helmet. "You are over two hours late," he snarled. "The Admiral is not pleased."

Mara was shocked at what he said. As far as she knew the rebel wasn’t supposed to arrive for an hour. It appeared her first mission was almost botched before it could begin. She also had no information about the cover the rebel was supposed to be utilizing. ‘Could it be that the rebel he is supposed to meet with was coming under the guise of a courtesan? Was that part of her Master’s reason for this cover? Or was it just a coincidence?’ She also wondered about what other information her Master had chosen to leave out in her briefing.

Luckily, Mara’s pause for thought did not impact the guard and only lent credence to her act of a startled prostitute. "I’m…I’m…sorry, Sir," she stammered. "My shuttle had some mechanical issues," she explained, hoping the lie sounded more convincing to them than it did to her.

The guard chuckled a bit looking over at his fellow stormtrooper who just stood in his place by the door, shaking his head. "Well, with how upset the Admiral is, I hope you like it rough. Because I'm sure that is what you are in for, like it or not."

Their laughter grew louder as he roughly shoved her towards the double doors leading into the main suite. His right hand came up to his ear as he keyed his comlink. She heard his muffled voice for a moment before he turned to her. "Give me you ID," he ordered.

She made her hand shake lightly as she handed the data pad containing her falsified orders from the Guild she was supposedly working for along with her ID card. She waited there trying to look appropriately nervous. She did not need to fake it too much, as this stormtrooper was not at all lax in his duties studying the ID and datapad. Her heart was pounding in her chest when, what seemed like an eternity later, he handed her back the datapad.

"Your purse," he ordered extending his hand. She handed it to him as the other stormtrooper approached. "Put your hands against the wall," he said motioning to the wall next to the lift. Mara put her hands against the wall planning for the worst. However, luckily this trooper was more interested in getting a cheap thrill, than worrying about the security of the man he was protecting. She could sense from him that he was getting quite excited running his hands up and down her legs, things, sides and buttocks.

‘He didn’t even bother to run a hand over my arms,’ she thought with disgust. ‘I could have walked in here with a blaster rifle,’ she thought as he motioned for her to turn around signaling his completion of frisking her.

The first stormtrooper handed her back her things while the other opened the door to the suite for her. Smiling widely, Mara paused for a moment and reached into her purse. She pulled out a little holocard for the Guild and handed it to the trooper that frisked her. "I’m sure you get R and R, sweetie. When you do, give me a ring. I’ll find a way for you to spend all that money the Imperial Army has given ya," she said with a wink as she glided through the doors.

The doors quickly slammed shut behind her and she looked around the suite. It was incredibly large, with hard wood floors covered with occasional rugs made from the pelts of various animals. The whole area was a spacious area for entertaining with couches spread throughout. In the far corner, there was a small staircase leading to the loft with the sleeping areas and refresher.

Coming down the stairs was a slightly overweight man with graying hair, in a gray silk robe. He was smoking a pipe, the acrid odor she immediately recognized as Spice. "Well, well," he said as he step off the stairs and started towards her. "What do we have here?"

Mara smiled prettily at him, trying for a look of naughty innocence. He sauntered over to her placing his right hand on her shoulder and leaning down to nuzzle her ear. "And what is your name?"

Mara extended her right hand, in a courtly manner, with her fingers pointed down and her wrist raised. "Julisia Vatuaine, of the Hedoneese Courtesan’s Guild," she said with a mixture of polite innocence and practiced flippancy.

He took her hand and raised an eyebrow before brining it to his lips where he placed an overly soft, wet kiss on it. He released her hand and said, "The Hedoneese Guild? My escort for the evening was supposed to be from the Yurallian Guild."

She sensed some suspicion coming from him. She called the Force to aid her, lending her words more legitimacy. "Well, a mutual friend said that I would be very much to your liking. He arranged for me to take the other girl’s place at the last moment." Mara extended her finger and ran it along the bottom of his chin, smiling seductively. "I am sure you will not be disappointed with me being here, instead of her."

He grinned at her as he took her hand in his again. "Well then, we should have something to eat. Looks like it is going to be a long night," he said as he led her in the direction of the huge bank of windows on the far side of the room.

A fairly large table had been set near the window. It only had two place settings, but looked like it could comfortably sit at least six people. Candles had been placed evenly around the table offering the only illumination on this side of the room.

The Admiral pulled out Mara’s chair for her before moving to take his own seat. He looked out the window. Not bothering to turn back to look at her, he said, "Imperial Center is so beautiful at dusk. I think it has to be the most beautiful place in the Galaxy."

She smiled, knowing exactly what do say. "I agree that it is beautiful here. But, if I had to pick the most beautiful place in the galaxy, I would say that it is Cathedral of the Winds on Vortex," she said giving him the correct countersign. In her briefing, she had read that there would need to be at least four such checks before she was to turn over the datapad to him.

The Admiral keyed a button on his chair and a moment later a pair of servants entered the room with a plate of hors d'ouvres and a bottle of Alderaanian wine. She was surprised to see it. Now that the planet had been destroyed, such delicacies were worth a lot of money. She had no idea why he was trying to impress her. Or perhaps, he just lived this decadently all the time.

Holding out her empty goblet to have it filled by the wine steward, Mara figured she might as well enjoy it. Who knows if she would ever get the chance again. She sipped at her wine while the pair spent the next hour making idle chatter.

The servants then returned to bring the main course. Mara had begun to be bored with the small talk and pleasantries. Finally towards the end of the meal, Admiral Hulbak slipped in two more of code phrases which Mara quickly answered with the countersigns. Mara’s pulse quickened as she realized how close she was to needing to turn over the document. However, the real rebel operative was no where to be seen.

Mara was on the edge of her seat now as the dinner plates were cleared for dessert and coffee. A final check was made by the servants before they were to depart for the evening to give the Admiral and his lady of the evening some privacy.

Mara and Hulbak ate their cheesecake and drank their coffee in silence. As he lifted his last forkful of cake to his mouth he said, "Don’t you find it funny that their seems to be less much less of an alien presence on Imperial Center now?"

Mara’s heart skipped a beat. That was the last code phrase. She did not let her heightened emotional state show through and answered with the last countersign, "Indeed, I haven’t seen a Ryn here in almost a year."

The Admiral leaned back in his chair, his lips forming a large smile. "Well, it is in fact you. Welcome to Imperial Center. You took a lot of risks to come here."

Mara nodded. "Well, that is what I am paid to do, Sir," she said. The fact that she was addressing this traitor with a term of respect made her stomach turn. She finished her last sip of coffee and reached into her small purse to remove the data card. She stood and leaned across the table handing it to the still seated Admiral.

He carefully took it from her and began to tap on the pad’s command keys. After numerous keystrokes, he began to access the information. He absently said, "Feel free to relax and look around. This may take a few minutes," as he browsed through the information.

Mara got up from her chair and began to wander the room. She glanced at the various holopics and certificates scattered around. She saw numerous pictures of his command crews; not only those on his flagship but also the captains of the vessels in his task force.

"Those men are readying their vessels for defection as we speak," he commented offhandedly as she looked at the pictures. Mara’s ears immediately perked up.

"It is a tribute to your leadership ability that you could convince those men to turn against the Emperor. They are sacrificing a lot to leave and join the Rebel Alliance," Mara said trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"I spent a lot of time trying to convince those under my command that it was the right decision. I also played a bit of command musical chairs transferring those out whom I knew would never turn and picking up others who would," he admitted. "With all the senior commanders willing to defect, the crews will never know until it is too late. I’m sure most will stay with their ships instead of becoming POWs. But, I am sure there will be a few hard-liners who will not defect."

Mara nodded not wishing to tip her hand by asking too many questions that could not be chalked up to mere curiosity. She also did not want to put herself into a position where her meager Force abilities could not melt away his suspicions if they rose to too high a level.

The Admiral got up from his chair at the dinner table and walked over to his desk on the other side of the room. He connected a fresh data pad to his computer terminal and began to type. Mara soon walked over and sat in the visitor’s chair in front of the desk. She absently looked around the room hoping the rebel operative would show up soon.

The Admiral finished typing and plucked the data pad from its cradle. He handed it to Mara who took it somewhat reluctantly, however he didn’t seem to notice. "You can take this back to your superiors. It has several lists of requirements on it as well as rendezvous instructions for the transfer of my fleet to the Alliance’s Command Net," he explained.

He looked over at the chrono on his desk, noting that he had been reading the data pad and writing the response for almost and hour and a half. "Well, that should be enough time to convince my guards that you have done the service you were paid to do." He stood to shake her hand. "I look forward to this merger. I think we will be able to do a lot of good."

Mara looked the middle-aged Admiral up and down. He was not a bad looking man. What he lacked in the well muscled, thin features of man her age he made up for with an air of confidence and a distinguished demeanor. She held his hand for a moment longer than was appropriate for a professional hang shake.

She steeled herself and said, "Well, there was a change to the courier assignment for another reason." Mara stood there, struggling for control as she explained. "Let me just say that there is a friend of yours who thinks that you would benefit from the service of a real courtesan."

He raised a brow in mild surprise. "So, you really are a member of the guild?"

"Yes," she answered. "I have only been with the Alliance for a short time but my job helps me get into places other agents couldn’t." She motioned around the room as she spoke. "Plus, I am rather accustomed to an opulent life style. I could never maintain it with the modest wages of an agent for the rebellion."

He smiled knowingly and she could see his eyes begin to churn with passion. "Well, then. How much is it for your other services?"

Mara smiled seductively at him as her brained screamed, hoping that the courier would arrive before she had to go through with her delaying tactic. "That service has already been paid for by that friend I mentioned earlier."

He looked at her with amusement but with a hint of suspicion mixed in. "And who would that be?"

Mara grinned at him. "He made me promise not to say. He wants you to figure out the secret." She looked at him. She could see his mind worked feverishly to figure out who it might have been. Mara used a small push of the Force to bring one of his churning thoughts to the forefront.

"I bet it was Crix," he said finally. "Seems like something he would do."

"Well, looks like you’ll have to ask him next time you see him." Mara grinned at him provocatively and winked. "Plus, you’ll have quite a story to tell him as well."

He chuckled softly. "Well, I have a meeting early in the morning. So, we should begin." He motioned her to the stairs leading up. "My bedroom is up there. There is a refresher there as well." Mara nodded. "There is something I need to finish up down here first."

Mara’s heart skipped a beat. Fear that he may have found her up bubbled up from her gut. She reached out with the Force, but felt no malice or thoughts of betrayal on his part. So, she began to walk over to the stairs. As she reached the foot, she turned and blew him a kiss. "Don’t be too long," she said huskily before trotting up the stairs.

Mara quickly went to work once she arrived in the privacy of his bedroom. She took her holdout blaster from its holster and hid it under the pillow. She then began to quickly remove her dress, so she was clad only in the lingerie she wore under it. She had barely disrobed when she heard his footsteps ascending the stairs.

Feeling mildly self-conscious standing there in her underwear, she quickly peeled back the covers of the bed and jumped in. She covered herself just as he crested the stairs. Ruben Hulbak looked at her all covered up in bed. "Well, that is not something you see everyday. A modest courtesan," he chuckled.

She patted the empty spot next to her. "It just takes me a moment to warm up," she purred. "You know, the stress of the mission and all. But, I am ready to unwind now"

Ruben removed his robe to reveal a thin pair of lounge pants and a tank top. He reached over to turn off the room’s lights. She could still see fairly well by the light cast through the windows by the surrounding skyscrapers.

He quickly made his way over to the bed shedding his tank top before climbing into bed next to her. Once he had settled in he leaned over to softly kiss Mara. "You know," he said softly. "You are in my spot." Mara grinned, thinking of the blaster hidden under the pillow. He kissed her again as his hands made their way to her breasts.

‘Stang," she swore to herself. ‘He moves fast.’ She made her best effort to moan at the appropriate times and touches. While he was touching her she compared everything he did to Fiorri. He was nowhere near as gentle or loving as he was. Nor did he seem at all concerned about her needs or pleasures as he fondled her and rubbed himself up against her leg.

Finally he took her right hand in his and guided it down to the bulge hidden under the light fabric of his pants. Mara took the hint and moved her hand under the waistband to grasp his aroused member. "That’s it," he whispered as she began to rub it slowly.

Ruben was easing the spaghetti straps of her lingerie top over her shoulders until he pulled it down past her breasts to have the top bunched over her stomach. She gasped as he leaned down to kiss the soft flesh and kissed each of her nipples before sucking on them lightly. As the sensations from his kisses flowed through her, she relaxed a bit.

She felt him shift his weight and gently placed his hand to guide her onto her back. Still stalling for time, she instead pushed against his chest to guide him onto his back. She straddled his hips and ran her hands along his chest. It was not nearly as arousing as touching her young lover’s tight muscles. But, the Admiral was probably in excellent shape when he was younger since his muscles were still quite developed. Even his little potbelly was almost cute. Looking over him appraisingly she thought, 'at least if I end up having to go through with this, he's not too bad looking.'

The only thing that was much different was his chest hair. Fiorri either naturally didn’t have any hair or had removed any of the small amount he had. However, Ruben had think black and gray hairs that covered his chest. Mara ran her hands over it. At first, she was mildly disgusted by it but after a few moments she found it interesting. Not normally what she would like in a lover, but not disgusting either.

Trying to keep control of the situation, she moved her attentions lower. ‘Fiorri liked this. Maybe he will too,’ she thought as she kissed down his body. She eased his pants over his hips to expose his erection. She carefully took it in her hands and planted a long wet kiss. He moaned loudly and she began to kiss and suck in earnest as his breathing increased. She took her mouth away for long, teasing periods trying to prolong it for as long as possible.

Her actions may have backfired on her when he quickly shifted his body to remove himself from her reach. He prodded her to lie on her back. Her mind worked feverishly but she could think of no possible explanation for not complying. So, she allowed herself to be guided to her former spot on the bed as he slipped her panties off.

Mara looked up intently at him. After weeks of being denied her goal, he had paid enough attention to her pleasure that her body yearned for more. However, in her heart she was saddened that Fiorri would not be the first man she laid with. Her emotions still boiled as he reached his hand down to stroke between her legs. She gasped and spread her legs a bit as he caressed her while kneeling over her kissing her neck and ears.

He then climbed into a position where his erection pressed against her. He eased his hips forward trying to ease his way inside her. Being the first time for her it was not easy and she could tell he was a bit confused. Mara gritted her teeth as he pressed harder. "Wow," he breathed. "You must be one of those girls who does those exercises."

Mara tried to ignore his comment, as it was not helping her relax and was actually bringing the reality of the situation back to her. However, he continued as he smiled at her. "It also helps you’re a skinny little thing."

Mara bristled under his words as he gave a last push and entered her. She let out a small cry as he did. "I’m sorry sweetie," he said. "It’s not my fault I’m big."

‘Egotist ," she thought in disgust as he began to build a rhythm. ‘And who says romance is dead,’ she thought to herself as Ruben began to grunt and groan above her. As she lay there, her thoughts turned back to Fiorri. Regret filled as thought back to how she had wanted her first time to be.

As she considered what she would do he began to move faster. She had gone through enough education classes to tell he was building towards climax. Just as she was contemplating how to prevent that from happening, his comlink on the table next to them buzzed. He sighed in disgust and picked it up without moving away from her. "What?’ he snapped.

Mara heard the stormtrooper on the other end say, "Sir, there is another young lady here to see you." Ruben looked at Mara with a confused gaze as her hand quickly flashed under the pillow drawing the blaster hidden there. She felt a huge amount of fear from him through the Force and could tell that he was scared as his erection wilted under the icy chill of her eyes.

She shoved the barrel of the blaster against the underside of his nose pushing him back to kneeling about a foot away from her. "Tell them to let her in, lover" she snarled. "And don’t use any code to advise them of danger. Trust me. I’ll know." She held the blaster about 3 inches from his face to allow for him to bring the comlink to his lips.

He cleared his throat, trying to hide his fear. "Show her in," he ordered.

"Sir?" the guard questioned.

"Just do as I say," he snapped. He looked at the woman beneath him. "I take it, that is my real contact."

She smiled evilly at him. "I am counting on it, Admiral."

"What now?" he asked, unable to hide his fear and vulnerabilities sitting there naked and unarmed with a blaster trained on him.

Mara could not keep the contempt and disgust from her voice as she spoke. "The Emperor is most displeased with your betrayal. I find you guilty and exact his revenge," she snarled. He lunged at her as she squeezed the trigger, sending a bolt of condensed light towards his face.

Ruben's head snapped back as he flew off the end of the bed and landed with a sickening thud. She quickly vaulted up and leaned over him, placing the blaster solidly against his chest over his heart. She squeezed the trigger twice more making sure he would not survive his wounds.

The weapon’s proximity to his body had muffled most of the sound, so the stormtroopers outside should not have been alerted. She quickly reached into her purse and pulled out her comlink, which also doubled as a short-range jamming device. She keyed it on so that the troopers could not be able to call for help as they became suspicious. Then she opened one his drawers to find some clothes more appropriate for the next phase of her mission. She flipped the control of the lights to illuminate the room.

She found a TIE pilot style flight suit in one of the drawers. It was very baggy on her, but since she was nearly as tall as he was it was not too long in the sleeves or legs. When she was donning the flight suit, she saw that a blaster was hidden under it. She quickly took it, and the belt and holster along with it. She fastened it around her waste before taking a pair or socks and boots to put on her feet.

Her hurried pace allowed her to perform these tasks in less than two minutes. Just as she was about to head down the stairs she looked over at the bed to notice something odd. She walked over to it to see the sheet had a large red stain. Mara cursed. She could not leave evidence like that to have the authorities investigate. She quickly grabbed a snifter of what appeared to be brandy from his dresser and soaked the bed with it. She planned to light it when she was ready to leave.

She ran down stairs as the doors to the ante chamber opened. Instead of a rebel agent, the two stormtroopers entered the room. She vaulted over the railing as they looked in her direction. She knelt behind a couch and drew the second blaster.

The guard on the left shouted in alarm and pointed towards Mara’s hiding place as two angry red lasers smashed into his helmet sending it and the shattered head beneath flying backwards. The second trooper raised his weapon and sent a shot into the couch as he dove for cover.

Mara tracked him as he dove, firing three shots. Two went wide but the third pierced his armor right at the shoulder joint penetrating his chest. She ran over and kicked his helmet off and fired one more shot into the back of his head. She ran over to the doors to the antechamber and stood with her back against the wall next to the door. She held both weapons up and at the ready.

The doors slid open as she heard a woman’s voice. "Well Admiral, I didn’t think you’d be ready to depart with me…" A twi’lek woman walked through the door dressed in a revealing one-piece dancer’s suit. Mara turned and aimed her right-hand weapon at her, but her movement gave away her position to her intended victim. The twi’lek spun and knocked her arm off target as she fired. The bolt went wide as the twi’lek snapped a kick at Mara’s lowered left hand sending her hold-out blaster spinning across the floor.

The rebel then grabbed Mara’s right wrist in both hands and slammed it against the edge of the door. Mara’s hand went numb as the blaster fell to the floor. As Mara twisted her arm to break the grasp on her wrist, her attacker dropped to the floor to try and recover the dropped blaster.

Mara struck out like a cobra with her right leg, viciously kicking the rebel agent in the face. A fine spray of blood flew from her split lip as she crashed to the floor. Mara ran over to finish her off, but the rebel lashed out with a leg sweep, knocking Mara to the ground.

The air whooshed out of her lungs as she crashed to the floor. She yelped as her left elbow absorbed most of her weight. The twi’lek was already on her feet and standing over the Emperor’s Hand. Mara opened herself up to the Force to increase her muscle’s strength and rolled out of the way as a fist cam crashing down on the spot where her throat just was.

Mara rolled to her feet and assumed a perfect unarmed fighting stance. She had just braced herself when her enemy charged. The alien sent a flurry of punches that Mara blocked with her forearms before countering with an open palm strike to the nose.

She heard the crunch of bone as the wounded agent dropped to the ground. Mara caught a flash of insight through the Force as she saw the twi’lek’s hand drop to her thigh. Mara jumped away as a blaster cleared it’s concealed holster. Mara saw the Admiral’s blaster lying on the floor.

A blaster bolt sizzled through the air striking Mara in the left shoulder. She cried out in pain as the bolt burned into her flesh. Mara slammed into the ground a few feet away from the Admiral’s blaster. She looked up to see it. All the pain from her wounded enraged her as the frustration and anger from the evening rushed to her mind.

She used that energy to summon the blaster to her hand as the rebel came around the couch. Mara raised the blaster and leveled it at her charging enemy, squeezing the trigger twice as she rolled out of the way of the bolt that she knew would be coming at her.

Her heightened connection to the Force allowed her to nimbly avoid the incoming laser as her bolts slammed into her attacker’s chest pitching her back to slam into the ground as she slid past Mara.

Mara jumped to her feet as quick as she could, fiery pain running through her shoulder and chest. Mara ran over to the fallen rebel and kicked the blaster from her grasp. She used her foot to flip her on her back. Her breathing was ragged as she looked into her face. Mara was about to start interrogating her as she saw the alien’s chest let out one last breath and all signs of life left her eyes.

Mara stood in shocked silence as adrenaline was racing through her veins and her heart was pounding in her chest. "Get a hold of yourself Jade," she scolded. She knelt down next to the body and began searching the rebel. She found a small data pad that had been hidden in a wide belt at the small of her back. She looked over to the doors to the antechamber to see a discarded purse that happened to match the twi’leck’s outfit lying by the door.

She ran over and snatched it up before running over to the Admirals computer terminal. She inserted one of the blank data pads by the terminal into its cradle. She keyed in a secret code that had been taught to her by her Master. The terminal downloaded a condensed version of the entire terminal’s files before setting up a self-destruct sequence.

The terminal was beginning to shoot sparks and smoke as she yanked the datapad free. She ran up the stairs, grabbing a candle that still burned on the dinner table as she ran by. She crested the stairs and tossed the lit candle onto the brandy-covered bed. She was rewarded with an instant conflagration that consumed the bed.

She used the pain-shunting techniques her Master had taught her as she planed her escape to dull the throbbing pain in her shoulder. She pulled her comlink out as she made sure she had gathered up everything she had brought with her, as well as the two new datapads and the agent’s purse. She disabled the jamming function and keyed the transmitter.

"Mu, one, alpha, seven, three, lambda, alpha, kappa, omicron, sigma, six," she said into the comlink. This code told her pilot to proceed with the primary extraction site. Since she had a few minutes to wait, she ran over to the door controls. She keyed in that secret code again, erasing the doors log and instructing it to remain locked for ten minutes. She then used it to access the security system, erasing all of the camera records for the last six hours.

She ran back towards the large bank of windows and stood in front of the one in the center. She stood there impatiently as she gingerly held her wounded left arm. Seven minutes later, she heard a pounding at the door of armored hands as the whine of repulsor engines screeched nearby.

The shuttle she had arrived on hovered just outside the window. She waved before turning over the dinner table and ducked behind it. The window shattered as bolts from the shuttles twin laser cannon slammed into them, showering the room with shards of transparasteel.

Mara jumped up and ran to the shattered window, calling the Force to her as leaped out, barely catching the shuttle’s boarding ramp with her hands. Her wounded left arms sent shock waves through her entire body as tried desperately to hold on. Summoning every last bit of her strength, she hauled herself up onto the ramp. She stumbled back to the cabin where she crumpled to the floor as she lost consciousness.

Mara awoke an unknown time later. She looked through the cockpit door to see they were on approach to the pad at Imperial Palace they had departed from some hours earlier. The pilot looked over his shoulder and spoke, "Glad to see you are back with us. I checked on you just as we left. Your wound didn’t look that serious, so I flew the pre-arranged flight plan so they wouldn’t be able to track you back here."

Mara scowled at him. "I am glad to see your expert medical opinion was correct," she quipped.

The pilot wisely chose to ignore the comment and finished the approach, bringing the shuttle to a smooth landing. Mara stood on wobbly legs and exited the shuttle as soon as the ramp had touched the shuttle pad. Mara walked slowly to a pair of waiting medtechs who sat her on a repulsor chair to bring her to the medical bay.

Mara Jade looked through a pink haze as she blinked her eyes. The breathing apparatus on her mouth and the plugs in her nose were making her incredibly uncomfortable. The techs had told her she would need a dip in the Bacta tank. Looking at the chrono on the wall, she saw that she was due to come out. She heard the hatch above her open and kicked her feet to break the surface of the healing bath.

She was received by a strong set of arms that helped her out of the tank. Her heart lightened as her thoughts immediately turned to Fiorri thinking that it must be him. She whirled, bad shoulder and all, the second the breathing mask was off her.

Her heart sank as she saw it was the same medtech that had originally dunked her. It was obvious he noticed the disappointment on her face, but chose not to bring it up. "Feeling better?" he asked cheerfully.

Mara shrugged, feeling almost no pain from her tender shoulder. "Yes, I guess," she mumbled.

The medtech smiled warmly. "Great," he said. He motioned a tech over with a waiting repulsor chair and gestured for Mara to sit. Once she was settled in he began to guide the chair out of the medical bay and towards her quarters.

He keyed open her door and guided her in. He helped her out of the chair once she had reached her bedroom and into her waiting bed. He went to the refresher and poured a glass of water, handing it to her with two pills. "Here," he said. "These will ease the pain and help you sleep."

Mara obediently took the pills and turned to lie on her right side. She was exhausted from the mission and her wounds. The medtech silently left the room and shut off all the lights as he did.

Mara’s head began to swim with many varied thoughts. First, her thoughts were of the mission, the man she had murdered. Then her thoughts turned to Fiorri and then to regret about the evening with the Admiral.

Mara began to softly weep as she lay in bed. She tried to convince herself it was over her aching shoulder, but she was unable to convince herself of that.

Sunlight crept through the space between the blinds in Mara’s bedchamber and her eyes fluttered open. After a few moments, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her aches and pains had diminished greatly and she felt pretty good.

She made her way to the refresher to clean up and get dressed. She washed herself thoroughly, working to purge not only the stink of bacta but also the scent of the Admiral and the evidence of their act that still left a stain on her thighs.

Mara dressed then began to sift through the items she had taken from agent the day before. She didn’t find anything interesting until she found a reference to an appointment with a smuggler in the Kuat System. There was also a cryptic reference to someone called the "Dark Woman."

Mara had just finished going through the data when she felt a familiar presence in her mind. "Come to me, my Hand," he whispered to her.

"Yes, My Master," she whispered in reply. She immediately began making her way through the familiar corridors to the Emperor’s Throne room.

She entered the room to see Palpatine seated on his throne. He had his normal compliment of guards, but in addition there were seven others clustered around something on the far side of the room. ‘If he wants to tell you what that is about, he will. Don’t let your curiosity get the better of you,’ she thought as she walked up and knelt before the Emperor.

She winced in pain as her bruised knee contacted the floor. "Rise, my Hand," Palpatine commanded. Mara stood as ordered as the Emperor stood and leaned on his cane to walk down the stairs to her. She quickly glanced around the room and noticed that Darth Vader was nowhere to be seen. For that she was grateful as she was in no mood to deal with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"I see you were successful, young one," he crooned as he stood in front of the young redheaded girl. Especially when she was kneeling, she felt as though he towered above her.

Mara went on to explain the bare basics of what had transpired and handed him the data pads from the Admiral and the rebel agent. She paused when she was done, before adding. "There is one more thing, my Master." The Emperor nodded, almost as if he knew she knew more. "I have come across a code name I believe - Dark Woman. Does this mean anything to you?"

The Emperor cackled evilly. "It does, indeed. She is one of those wretched Jedi who has evaded my grasp. It appears her time may be up." Mara nodded as she felt his disgusted at the very name of the Jedi. "I would like you to leave immediately. Search her out, then return to me." His yellow eyes almost glowed as he made his next point. "Do not engage her under any circumstances, am I understood."

"Yes, Master," she said with a respectful bow.  
"Excellent," the withered old man said as he began to walk towards the gathered Imperial Guards. "Follow me," he ordered and Mara obediently followed. The guards stepped back to reveal a large box that was lying on the floor.

Palpatine reached out to grasp Mara’s hand and she shuddered slightly under his withered touch. This was the first time he had shone her any physical sign of affection. His yellow eyes seemed to soften as he looked up at her. "I have more of the cursed Jedi’s work right here though I believe this is has been done by a pretender."

He pulled back the cover of the box to reveal a young man’s body. He was dressed in the black battle garb of one of the Emperor’s Sith apprentices.. He had a horrible burn wound through the center of his chest and she knew that it was the mark of a lightsaber. She gaze slowly moved up his body. His face was ashen and his eyes closed.

"Fiorri," she said, her voice quivering. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sunk to her knees to rest her hands on the edge of the make-shift coffin. "No, no…" she cried as she rested her head on hands, weeping softly.

"I know child," Palpatine soothed. "It is the Jedi that have taken you friend."

Mara’s hands clenched as fury replaced the feeling of sadness. Anger burned through every fiber of her being and the wood surrounding her friend cracked as her grip tightened. Wood splinters jabbed her hands, but the physical pain only heightened her connection to the Force as the anger raced though her body.

She shot to a standing position as her mind raced with thoughts of murderous vengeance. "Who has done this?" she growled more like a beast than a woman.

"He is a Jedi pretender. One who is descended from a dead Jedi who wishes to see his father’s fallen order return to power. We will not let him," the Emperor explained.

Mara nodded, her eyes ablaze with fury and hatred. Palpatine felt the feelings radiating from her and smiled inwardly. His plan was working better than he had imagined. "His name is Luke Skywalker."

"Luke Skywalker," she muttered.

"Yes, my Hand," the old man whispered. "You will kill Luke Skywalker," he ordered. "Not now, but when you are ready. You will need to train long and hard to defeat this young Jedi," he nearly spat the words at her.

"Yes, Master," she said her voice quivering in anger. "I will kill Luke Skywalker."


	3. A Destiny Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 27 years after the Battle of Yavin, on the run from the Yuuzhan Vong, Luke and Mara return to a place of great meaning to Luke where they face their past together.

Luke Skywalker sat in the cockpit of the 'Jade’s Shadow', at the primary flight controls. Mara was in the cabin directly behind him, resting and was the only other person on board. During the most recent defeat, at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong, the Jedi had made a hasty retreat.

Han and Leia had escaped on the Millennium Falcon, bringing along Luke and Mara’s one-year-old son when they evacuated. Mara was quite far along in carrying their second child and Leia had been nice enough to watch over their son to give Luke and Mara some time to themselves. Sadly, the Vong had different ideas.

After a quick but fierce battle, the remnants of defeated defenders boarded their ships to escape the Vong’s invasion force, with most being successful. After a harrowing chase with Mara aiding him at the controls, the 'Jade's Sahdow' had escaped into hyperspace. Fatigue had overtaken Mara and she had gone to lie down in the back almost immediately after they escaped.

Luke had been staring into the tunnel of light created by the swirling stars as the traveled through the Outer Rim towards Yavin IV. The digital display on the console in front of him was counting down to their reemergence to realspace. They were going to make a quick course change in the Cophrigin system before continuing enroute to Yavin IV.

Luke pulled back the hyperdrive handle and the star field stopped spinning as they entered the system. Luke quickly glanced through the cockpit’s transparisteel window. The system was pretty barren, only a few small planets orbited the yellow sun. The only one that supported any life was the fifth planet. Cophrigan V reminded Luke a lot of Dantooine, but was much smaller. The planet teemed with life, though none of it was humanoid with dense forests and expansive oceans covered the planet’s surface.

Luke enjoyed the sight as he turned the ship to its outbound subspace heading. He had just flipped on the autopilot to fly the ship to their jump point, when he felt a tremor in the Force and heard a muffled scream of shock from behind him.

Luke leapt from the pilot's chair and ran to the cabin area. He entered to see Mara standing just in front of the couch she had been lying on. Her legs bowed slightly and a shocked expression covered her face. The front of her pants were soaking wet, as if someone had thrown a bucket of water on her. Luke grinned at her speaking in a slightly babyish voice, "Did someone have an accident?"

Mara shot him daggers with her eyes. "Yes Farmboy, in fact I did. I made the mistake of ever letting you touch me again after the first time you did this to me," she said in a mock-exasperated tone while gesturing towards her tummy.

Luke chuckled as Mara shook her head. "Obviously Cilghal has not gotten very far in teaching you the Force Healing Techniques like I had asked," she said in a total deadpan before breaking down into a hearty laugh. Luke came over and hugged his wife close to him.

Luke reached through their Force-bond to see how his wife and soon-to-be newborn child were fairing. It was obvious that the child was going to make its entrance into the world sooner, as opposed to later. This would not be like the birth of their son, who had taken more than a full of day of hard labor to be delivered. ‘Which is good. Maybe Mara won’t act like an angry rancor this time,’ Luke thought to himself, without making any attempt to hide his thoughts from the person on the other side of the bond.

Mara gasped. "I’ll show you a rancor." She growled playfully as she grabbed him by the hair and tussled Luke’s blonde locks. She had just slugged him in the shoulder, continuing their play fight when she suddenly felt a lot of movement in her abdomen and stumbled back.

Luke did his Jedi reflexes justice as he immediately leapt to steady her. "Whoa," he cautioned. "Let’s have you sit down," he said guiding her to the couch. Mara leaned back feeling like the child within her was doing back flips.

Mara looked up at her husband and smiled reassuringly. "I’m alright," she said. "I just think we are due to have a visitor really soon." Mara was unable to hide her surfacing worry and anxiety. "Also, there is something I can feel in the Force."

Luke reached out, feeling the same sensation almost immediately. However, the feeling was elusive. He could not discern what it was or what it meant. "Snap out of it, Skywalker," Mara said with a chuckle. "You can tell by now that you're not going to be able to narrow it down. So, it's time to worry about what is going on in here," she said taking his hand and placing it on her stomach.

Luke was amazed at the amount the baby was moving. He could also feel huge ripples in the Force. Something was afoot, and it was centered on his wife. Luke took Mara’s hand and guided her toward the cockpit. "Come sit up here with me," he said helping her into the copilot’s seat.

Mara only nodded. "Hurry, Luke" she said, in a light pleading tone. "I think it’ll be fast. And I don’t want to bring our child into the galaxy in a ship traveling through hyperspace."

Luke nodded, turning to the navicomputer. They had now reached the jump point and he keyed the coordinates in. "Ok, next stop, Yavin Four…" Luke began, while pulling the lever to engage the hyperdrive on their new course. A loud bang and the screech of ripping metal interrupted him. The ship shuddered under unseen forces.

Mara shot Luke a worried look. "What was that?" Luke glanced at the instrument panel as his fingers danced over the diagnostic controls. Luke sighed in disgust.

"What!?" Mara demanded.

"We just had a total hyperdrive failure," Luke informed her.

Mara’s heart sank. There was no way that Luke would be able to fix it in time for them to get to a civilized system for her to give birth to their child, if he could even fix it at all. She quickly glanced around the cockpit and out the forward windows. Anxiety filled her at the thought of having their child, alone on a ship. Even though they had owned the ship for a couple of years now, it still did not feel like home to her, like the 'Jade’s Fire' had.

She continued to look around, her eyes falling on Cophrigin V. She tried to calm herself and drew a cleansing breath while touching the Force. The planet seemed to glow like a beacon within the currents of the Force. Mara could feel a sense of peace filling her as she stared at the planet.

She turned to Luke. "We should land there. I really don’t want to have this baby on the ship."

Luke nodded, sensing her feelings through their bond. He definitely agreed with her. A ship in the emptiness of deep space was no place to begin life. With all the death and inter-galactic invaders that had surrounded them, they wanted the baby to be born in an area filled with the Living Force. Luke took her hand in his, before silently turning the ship to a heading to bring them to the planet. It would also be easier to make repairs with the ship on a habitable planet.

The flight took a little more than an hour. A few minutes from orbit, Mara had her first major series of contractions. As Luke was flying he felt a ripple through their bond as the contractions shook Mara’s body.

Luke monitored the scanners looking for a good place to land. He figured an area near the equator would be best since it was very temperate. Luke picked out a landing spot and had begun guiding the ship towards it. Just after their entry into the atmosphere, towering storm clouds seemed to come out of nowhere. Lightening flashed outside the viewports and the ship shook from the turbulent air currents.

"Stang, Luke!" Mara exclaimed. "I have no idea why you thought flying through a thunderstorm would be such a great idea! Or maybe you weren't paying close enough attention!" Mara shouted, continuing her pain fueled rant. "Maybe I should have been looking out the window, but I was busy over here giving birth to your child!"

Luke grimaced. ‘Well, here we go again,’ he thought remembering Mara’s fiery temper rising during the birth of their son. Seemed like Luke was in for a rough ride, in more ways then one. Luke wisely chose not to respond to her verbal onslaught and simply flew the ship with ease through the violent weather.

Mara was finishing her tirade when a bolt of lightning slashed through the sky and ran all along the hull of the ship. The lights flickered and systems failed all over the ship. Sensors, Life Support, and Shields all died right before their eyes.

Mara screeched, partially in surprise and partially from pain as another contraction wracked her body. She gasped as she watched systems throughout the ship fail and warning lights light up the instrument panel like a Life Day Tree. "Sithspit," she hissed, launching into another tirade. "Lando…when I get my hands on him…Giving us this piece of junk!"

Luke wrestled to control the ship, trying to guide it to a safe landing. Without life support there was no way for them to abort their landing and return to space. Luke stretched out with the Force looking for a safe path to follow, allowing its currents to guide him.

They broke out of the clouds only about two hundred meters above the ground. Luke reached for the lever to engage the repulsor lifts and extended the landing struts. He guided the ship to a hard landing in a small wooded clearing.

Luke sat back and exhaled heavily trying to shake the fear that hung over him from that far too exciting approach and landing. His heart rate began to slow as he looked over at Mara. A thin sheen of sweat covered her brow and her breathing was slightly labored. As Luke stared at her, she grunted uncomfortably.

Luke slowly got out of his chair. "I'm going to take a quick look around. I'll be right back, okay?" he asked, taking Mara's hand for a moment and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Mara nodded and smiled weakly at her husband. She was bracing herself, saving her strength for the ordeal she knew was coming.

As Luke quickly walked to the boarding ramp, his hand dropped to his belt and he felt reassured by the contact he made with his lightsaber. The feelings of apprehension he experienced on the way down to the planet had not subsided. The Force continued its supportive presence but offered no answers.

Luke lowered the ramp and walked down onto the planet's surface. A light, temperate breeze brushed his face as he emerged. The spot he had chosen to land, of the few available options, appeared to be an open clearing. As he surveyed his surroundings, it became obvious the clearing was not natural created.

The edge of the clearing was lined with woven thorn bushes that formed a think wall. The clearing itself was dotted with stone paths that were only slightly overgrown with a thick forest grass, preventing them from being seen from the air. The only sight that marred the perfect landscape was a huge tree that had been cut down to fall into the center of the clearing.

The eddies in the Force had become more persistent as Luke approached the fallen tree. Nearing the trunk, Luke bent down to see some brown cloth pooled under the gigantic tree. He then saw a bronze cylinder lying near the cloth. The Jedi Master instantly recognized the object as a lightsaber. The weapon had a ruby in the pommel and the raised metal serving as a grip formed a pattern of intricate vine work. When viewed upside down, the weapon looked like a rose. Luke picked it up and a strange feeling came over him.

Through his bond with her, he felt his wife's approach. However, with his distraction, he noticed it much later than he would have normally. Mildly surprised, he whirled around to see Mara gingerly climbing down the boarding ramp.

"Well," Mara called to him. "Looks like we’re on our own for a while. Comm is completely shot and I’m not in any state to fix it."

She looked down at the lightsaber in Luke’s hand as she walked over to him. "Where did you find that?"

Luke gestured at the ground towards the cloth pinned under the tree. As Luke looked at it again, it occurred to him the fabric was the same shade as Obi-Wan’s Master's robe. ‘I have only seen one other Master…’ Luke thought to himself.

Mara stared at Luke, immediately sensing his emotions stirring. She felt the mixture of pleasant memories and a sense of great loss. She was about to question the feelings when a sudden wind whipped through the clearing. The currents of the Force rose up like crashing waves at the same moment.

Mara stared at Luke as next to him a humanoid outline of soft blue light began to appear. The form took on the shape of a thin, tall woman. As her features began to coalesce, they showed a braid of long gray hair and piercing blue eyes. She was dressed in the deep brown robe of a Jedi Master. When she had fully formed, she smiled at Luke.

"Greetings, my student," the spectral figure said to Luke as his jaw nearly bounced off the ground. The Jedi calm he was so famous for seemed to leave him immediately. Mara just stared blankly at the ghostly woman.

"Greetings to you as well, Emperor’s Hand," the specter said.

Mara tilted her head staring intently at her. Suddenly her eyes widened in shock. Luke could feel fear well up in his wife as she stumbled a few steps back. Mara recognized the woman she had found more than twenty-five years before.

"The…the Dark Woman," Mara stammered. "No…no!" she screamed.

Luke kept his eyes on his wife as he took a few tentative steps forward. "It’s okay," Luke soothed, not even beginning to understand why his wife was so afraid or how she even knew about the long dead Jedi Master. Luke could feel the Force building to great proportions, seeming to wrap itself around his wife. Soon he could feel nothing of her through their bond with all the energy surrounding her.

Mara let out a terrified screech before her eyes rolled back into her head and her knees buckled beneath her. The world went black around her…

Mara Jade Skywalker stood in the Throne Room of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, as she had known it during the reign of the Emperor. She glanced down at herself to see that she was dressed as she normally was as of late, in the robes of a Jedi Master with Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber handing from her belt.

She turned toward the window where the Emperor had sat upon his throne. Her heart nearly leapt from her chest when she saw her former Master sitting upon it. Disbelief roared within her as she heard the mechanical breathing of Darth Vader and saw him appear at Palpatine’s side.

The Emperor shot her a menacing smile of rotting teeth as Mara heard the distinctive snaphiss of a lightsaber igniting off to her left. She whirled around to see a young girl of no more than eighteen years of age. She was dressed in a black leather jumpsuit that highlighted the strong dancer-like physique underneath. She had flowing, wavy red hair that shimmered in the light of the red lightsaber she held in her hands.

Mara gasped, it was her. Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand. The young woman began to advance toward Mara menacingly. "Look at you," she snarled. "Dressed up like one of those Jedi," she said spitting venom with the word. "What have you let us become?"

Luke reached out with all power he could summon, using the Force to cushion Mara as she slumped to the ground. Luke ran over to her prone form, sliding on his knees to bring himself to a quick halt. He took Mara into his arms and tried to reach across their bond to see what was wrong. However, it was like Mara was only a shadow of herself, and their bond was almost non-existent.

Luke looked up at the Dark Lady, who had moved to stand beside him. Luke's eyes were pleading and his great concern was evident on his face.

"Luke, there is nothing you will be able to do," the Dark Woman began. "She must come to grips with her past. If not, she will lose everything. I know this will be hard for you, but you can do nothing to aid her. She must do this on her own."

Luke's heart felt like it was about to break. Every fiber of his being wanted to help Mara, but he had long since learned that interfering with matters that he should not have, never turned out better for it. With a resigned sigh he went aboard the ship to grab a few blankets and pillows. He returned to Mara and attempted to make her as comfortable as possible.

Luke held Mara lovingly, running his fingers through her hair. Every moment hoping she would be able to win whatever battle was raging in her heart.

As the Emperor's Hand approached, Mara Jade Skywalker took a few unsteady steps backward. Mara felt as if the words had been a slap to the face. "What do you mean? Done to us?"

The Emperor's Hand sneered in disgust. "Not only did you fail when your Master needed you most, but then you shack up with the enemy. How could you?!" The young woman screamed.

Mara shook her head. "It wasn't like that. You don't understand…"

"I understand just fine!" she screamed, cutting Mara off. "How quickly they forget…" the Emperor's Hand said trailing off. As she did, she motioned to a wooden box at the side of the room. Mara hesitantly walked over to it. As she approached, the cover of the box fell to the floor. Within was the body of the boy she had loved what seemed like a hundred years before, the boy she had known as Fiorri.

Tears began to well in Mara's eyes as she remembered the day she had first seen his body. The feelings of hatred she had held for Luke Skywalker. She turned to look back to look at the Emperor's Hand, who had tears streaming down her face. "You shacked up with the man who murdered Fiorri!" She screamed and rushed at Mara with her lightsaber held high over her head.

Mara, still stunned by her emotions, barely snatched the lightsaber from her belt to ignite it in time to block the brutal overhead attack by the Emperor's Hand. The strength of the Hand's blow sent Mara stumbling. What Young Mara lacked in skill and strength in the Force, she more than made up for in anger, hatred and fear.

Mara risked a glance over at Palpatine and Vader to see both only looking on. A satisfied sneer played on Palpatine's cracked and withered lips. Mara turned her attention back to her opponent as the Force warned her of an incoming attack. Mara caught the Hand's blade on her own and pushed back hard against the attack. Both stood with their faces a few inches apart as the lightsabers sparked and sputtered.

They could feel the heat of the blades on their faces. Mara's expression of Jedi calm only seemed to enrage the Emperor's Hand even more. "You need to see," Mara began, her voice cracking under the strain of holding the Hand's blade at bay. "We may have cared for Fiorri, but we were young and naïve then. Luke would not have killed him unless there was no other way."

"Of course," Young Mara said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Just like those people on the Death Star."

Mara flinched at those words. Luke had a very hard time coming to grips with what he had done in his youth. But Mara knew in her heart that Luke regretted it, even though it was the only possible choice, and that regret was what made him such a good man.

Mara started to speak, just as the Emperor's Hand lashed out with a viscous kick. The words died on Mara's lips as the air rushed from her lungs. She felt a sharp pain and heard a sickening snap as she felt one of her ribs break before she was sent sprawling to the floor.

Mara scrambled to her feet as her younger self advanced with a predatory smile on her lips. "See all that you have given up with your failures?" the Emperor's Hand asked. As she did, Mara was assaulted with visions.

Mara stumbled back and brought a hand to cover her eyes, trying in vain to stop the visions. They played out like a perverse copy of her life: Her giving birth to Fiorri's son. The defeat of the Rebel Alliance. The public executions of the Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Han Solo to name a few. Mara's elevation to Dark Lady of the Sith…

Mara was still dazed as the Emperor's Hand raised her blade again. "You stole this away from us!" The blade came sweeping down in a great arc. Mara caught a flash of movement as a beautiful black bird descended from above, impacting the hands of young Mara, knocking her attack off-line and causing it to miss Mara by mere inches.

Mara rolled out of the way, brining her eyes to the bird as it flew away and disappeared into the darkness above. She brought her blade up to ward off the next viscous slash from the Emperor's Hand. As Mara parried the blow, she took her left hand from the hilt and pushed out towards her opponent generating a Force Push. Young Mara let out a startled grunt as she fell back. Mara jumped to her feet, trying to set aside the dark visions she had been assaulted with and calling the Light Side to her.

The Emperor's Hand flinched as a brilliant light surrounded Mara and expanded out from her. The light filled the entire room until all features of the room were bleached out. When the blinding light subsided, Mara and the Emperor's Hand were in a small jungle clearing near the ancient Great Temple of the Massassi that had been used by Luke Skywalker to house his Jedi Academy.

Luke had made his wife as comfortable as possible before sitting on the stump of the felled tree. He looked around the clearing as the Dark Woman's ghost approached casting soft blue light over his features. He looked up at her smiling weakly. "This is where it happened, wasn't it?" Luke asked softly.

The Dark Woman nodded slowly. "Yes, Darth Vader found my sanctuary here. Or should I say, he acted on information he was given by another of the Emperor's agents. He was the one to follow through with them." As she finished speaking, she turned her head towards Mara's prone form.

Luke, with his eyes cast toward the ground and lost in deep thought, didn't notice the Dark Woman's glance. "And now, another battle versus the Dark Side is being waged…" she added, trailing off. Her eyes were still cast at the woman who had partly responsible for her murder.

Luke sighed, obviously distraught. Luke eyes seemed to brighten as he felt the Force rush through his every fiber. His Force Bond with Mara had seemed to reappear out of the void it had disappeared into. "She's back," Luke said bolting up to run to Mara's side.

As Luke knelt over his wife, the Dark Woman sighed. "Not yet, Master Skywalker. In every war, both sides win battles. The war is not over yet."

Mara Jade Skywalker, Jedi Master, stood in the bright sunlight of the Yavin IV jungle. On one side of the clearing stood the people she had come to accept as her real friends over the years since the Emperor's death. Luke Skywalker, Talon Karrde, Han Solo, Corran Horn and Jaina Solo were the ones obviously present, but at the edge of her vision she caught glimpses of all those who had helped and accepted her since she had affiliated herself with the New Republic.

The Emperor's Hand stood a few feet away, her lightsaber was no longer in her hand and instead now hung dormant from her belt. She glared angrily at Mara and her assembled friend. "Let me guess," she growled. "All our wonderful friends. Psst…don't make me laugh," she said, turning away, trying to affect an air of nonchalance. However, Mara could see right through her act, having practiced hard, years earlier, to perfect it. Mara remained calm and focused waiting for her younger self to continue.

Young Mara turned back to the Jedi Master, her eyes glazed with tears and filled with anger and confusion. "Your friends, huh? Seems you have a bit of selective memory." The Emperor's Hand pointed towards the woods where a Bothan man had just emerged. His cream colored fur and violet eyes brought a chill to Mara's warm, comfortable inner peace.

"I don't remember Borsk Fey'la being such a great friend. The man tried to find every little thing about us. He would have burned you at the stake had it been up to him. Luckily I was smart enough to hide our activities," she growled.

"Oh and your loving husband's family," the Emperor's hand began as Leia Organa Solo stepped into the clearing. "She was oh, so supportive of you and Luke. She was just so happy an ex-imperial assassin was marrying her brother. Her brother, Jedi Master, Hero of the Rebellion, marrying Palpatine's whore! I'm sure she was really proud!" She screamed as tears came streaming down her cheeks.

Mara was shocked at her words. "His whore?" she asked softly.

"Oh, don't act so offended. Have you forgotten your roots so quickly?" Young Mara asked. "The first time you laid with a man, it was because your Master had put his pawn in that position. You let him use you, body and soul. How do you think your husband would look at you if he knew the first man you were with, you murdered while he was still inside you?"

The sunlight disappeared as clouds filled the sky and Mara's thoughts darkened. Maybe all had not been as she remembered now. And what of Fiorri? Had she been fair to him, never even asking Luke about his death? Perhaps it was not as clear cut as she had made herself believe. What would Luke think of her behavior when she served Palpatine? He had never pressed her for answers and she had given him little insight. Maybe it was because she knew he wouldn't be able to love her if he knew.

Luke looked up at the Dark Woman as his worry turned to cold, hard fear. He could sense in the Force Mara had withdrawn again, their bond fading into near nothingness. However, he could feel a new presence in the Force. He struggled to pinpoint it, but could not.

He looked up at the Dark Woman with questioning eyes. She looked down at the kneeling Jedi Master, a kind smile coming to her lips. "There is no emotion, there is peace…Master Skywalker," she said quoting a line from the Jedi Code. "Fear not, I believe someone very close to her is about to intervene on your wife's behalf."

In the last rays of sunlight, not snuffed out by the clouds, Mara saw a shadow cast as something flew over her. She glanced up to see the blackbird she had seen earlier, flash overhead as the world morphed around them, brining them back to the Emperor's Throne Room.

The Emperor's Hand and Mara Jade Skywlaker stood side by side near Palpatine's throne. He was seated upon it, however he seemed not to notice their arrival. "Master?" the Young Mara asked tentatively as she leaned forward to look around the side of the throne. She jumped as the blackbird landed on the high back of the chair and the doors slashed open.

Both Maras gasped as they saw Darth Vader enter, dragging a half-clothed man behind him. "Fiorri?" they cried in unison. Mara looked over to see the Emperor's Hand's eyes filling with tears.

They could both see Palpatine's yellow eyes glowing eerily under his hood as he looked on. 'What is going on?' Mara thought to herself.

"Thank you Lord Vader," Palpatine said as he stood with the help of his cane. He strode over to where Fiorri was sprawled out on the floor where Vader had deposited him. His breathing was heaving and ragged and the Sith Master seemed to absorb the feelings of pain radiating from his body.

Palpatine leaned over slightly and spoke in his raspy voice. "You seem to have trouble following simple instructions." He tilted his head feigning deep thought. "I seem to recall giving you very specific instructions when I hired you."

Mara gasped as she realized what she was witnessing. She remembered back to the night she had almost lost her virginity to the young man she had loved all those years ago. She had never considered what had occurred after Vader had waked in on them. She risked a glance at her younger self to see her wearing her pain openly. The wounds of his death were still quite fresh to her and the scene playing out in front of them was like rubbing salt on them.

Palpatine motioned with his head from Lord Vader to Fiorri. Vader quickly strode over to him, roughly grabbing him by the shoulders and hauling him to his feet. The young man tried to compose himself as Vader let go. The Emperor spoke again, "So, was I clear or not?"

Fiorri could not keep the fear from his voice as he answered. "Yes Emperor, you were very clear."

"Then, why is it boy, that you disobeyed my orders? The contract we made when I hired you." Papatine asked in a patronizing tone.

"I…I did not, Your Excellency. I had the situation completely under control…" Fiorri spoke as a fist slammed into the back of his head. Vader stood over him as he slumped to the floor again. As the boy hit the ground, another vicious punch slammed into his kidney.

"Lord Vader, no!" the Emperor's Hand screamed as she leapt forward. Mara could feel the fear and pain coming off her in waves. She reached out latching onto her strongly with her arms.

"This has already happened. There is nothing we can do to change it," Mara said struggling to hold the younger, stronger woman in place. Mara called upon the Light Side, not only to increase her strength, but also to calm the young girl who was being fueled by the fear of what was happening.

None of the men present noticed the commotion or paid the two ladies any heed.

He cried out in pain as Vader’s power fists pummeled him. The Emperor stood emotionless has Vader rained fists down upon the boy who was powerless to stop him. After a minute, Palpatine motioned for Vader to stop. "Now what was it again that I hired you to do?"

Fiorri panted and groaned in pain. He was laying face down on the floor with blood beginning to run from his mouth. He managed to lift his head a mere inch off the floor and groaned, "You hired me to teach Mara the art of love making and other arts of seduction." The old man hissed impatiently for Fiorri to continue. "You also said that I was not to engage in any act that could possible leave her with child."

The Emperor's Hand stopped struggling immediately and stood with a shocked expression. Mara let her arms flop to her sides trying to figure out if she had heard correctly. The Emperor's Hand fell to her knees, unable to overcome the shock of what she had just heard.

"Ah," the old man muttered. "And it would appear that you chose to disobey the last part of your orders, didn’t you?"

"No, Emperor," he said, his pleading eyes looking up at the withered man. "I would never disobey you. I was just about to push her off me when Lord Vader walked in. I was teaching her the art of…" He cried out as Vader’s boot impacted on his right shoulder slamming his face on the floor, ending whatever excuse he was offering to Vader’s Master.

Young Mara looked on in abject horror, realizing what was about to happen. "No…no…" she cried shaking her head. Mara reached out to wrap her arms around her once more. She hugged her younger self as an older sister would when trying to comfort their sibling through their first true heartbreak.

However, Mara couldn't help but feel as if she had lost something as well. The special place that you hold in your heart for your first love, seemed to grow dark. The flame that she had carried all these years was extinguished under the harsh waters of truth.

"You lie poorly, boy," the Emperor hissed. "Your guild would not be pleased with what you have done. You’re nothing but a whore. I told you that there was no way you would be allowed to handle her in such a manner. However, you chose not to listen."

"Please…I won’t do it again…" he sobbed realizing his fate.

"You are right. You will pay for your lack of vision. And I guarantee you will never do it again!" he said fury rising in his sickly yellow eyes.

Lord Vader’s arm quickly snatched the dangling lightsaber from his belt. The blade emerged from the handle with a snaphiss, as he moved to stand over the broken, battered and now sobbing, Fiorri.

"No!" the Emperor's Hand screamed as she leapt from Mara's loose embrace. She brought her lightsaber to her hand, triggering the blade to emerge. She dove forward as Vader brought his blade high over his head. She managed to interpose her blade to block his attack on her prone lover.

Mara's heart nearly stopped as she looked on. She saw Vader's blade pass through Young Mara's as if she wasn't even there. Fiorri screamed in pain as the blade pierced his chest. He collapsed an instant later, life no longer evident in his eyes.

Mara let loose a terrible scream, nearly scaring Luke to death. He moved from the spot where he was seated nearby to kneel beside her once more. "The second I move away from her…" he muttered taking her in his arms.

Mara's tears flowed freely as she muttered. "No…it was all a lie…he never loved me…they all lied…no one could ever love me if they knew what I've done…"

"Luke," the Dark Woman said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You must leave her. This is her fight, not yours. You can not aid her, only hinder."

Luke did not move only hung his head. His emotions tore at him, paralyzing him. But after a few moments of deep deliberation, he hesitantly stood, staring loving at his wife. He took two small steps back and lowered himself to sit upon the ground. Planning to keep his vigil as close to her side as he could.

Palpatine, Vader and Fiorri faded from view as the Emperor's Hand slumped all the way to the floor. Mara stood trying to compose herself, knowing she would need to comfort the crushed girl who was now crying on the ground where Fiorri's body had just been.

The red lightsaber sputtered and crackled against the durasteel floor of the Throne Room. Mara slowly reached out to lay her hand on the sobbing girl's shoulder. As she did, the Emperor's Hand lashed out with a kick before jumping to her feet.

The viciousness and speed of the kick caught Mara completely off guard as it slammed into her chest, just below her throat, sending her sprawling to the floor. Mara looked up, trying to catch her breath to see the Emperor's Hand staring at her with unbridled hatred burning in her tear filled eyes.

"You did this to me," she began, her voice low and menacing. "If it wasn't for you, I never would have known this. At least, you have Skywalker! I have no one!"

Mara slowly got to her feet. "You would have rather lived with a lie?" she asked, immediately regretting she had not found a softer way to ask the question.

"How dare you?" the Emperor's Hand asked, spiting venom as she raised her left arm in Mara's direction. She fanned her fingers out, as her arm reached a position parallel to the ground. Mara felt a tremor in the Force as the Hand's hate reached a thundering crescendo.

Mara drew her lightsaber, the blade coming to life just in time to intercept the blue lighting arching out from Young Mara's hand. She managed to catch most of the lightning on the blade as the smell of ozone filled her nostrils.

A howl inspired by all the pain and fear caused by her service to the Emperor emerged from Young Mara as she sent another bolt of Force Lightning at the Jedi Master. Mara struggled to keep her lightsaber away from her body as she caught the second arc of lightning. The Emperor's Hand took full advantage of Mara's struggle and shifted her attack slightly to Mara's left, lancing her shoulder with a bolt.

Mara grunted as the lighting burned her skin, bringing with it the stench of burnt hair and skin. He left arm went numb as the Emperor's Hand charged forward, her lightsaber held for an overhead strike meant to end their conflict in one brutal strike.

Mara brought her blade up in time to block the attack, but without her second hand, the attack almost slid though her guard. Unable to hold off the strike, Mara rolled away to her right. She came to her feet to see her younger self had not moved.

"I feel horrible about Fiorri, you know that. But it was all a lie," Mara said, keeping a cautious eye on the Emperor's Hand. As she looked at her younger self, Mara could see none of her anger had dissipated as they had fought

"No! You did this!" Young Mara screamed as she charged. She slashed down at Mara with a flurry of attacks.

Mara parried her attacks easily since they were made with the sloppiness that anger lent to one's fighting ability. But, with that sloppiness came great, anger fueled strength. Mara could feel her frustration rising. She needed to end this, but she had no idea how.

'Was I really this headstrong?' she asked herself as she locked her gaze on the angry, emerald eyes across from her. Mara could feel herself losing control as the memories of everything seemed to crash down around her. Vision after vision she had seen came flooding in like a tsunami trying to crush her.

For the first time since she and the Emperor's Hand's blades had met, Mara lashed out with an attack meant to do harm. The Hand was so surprised by the attack she barely blocked it. Now Mara went on the offensive.

Mara fought like she hadn't in years. Letting her frustration and fear have more influence on her than she should of. She felt as if she were the Emperor's Hand again. Fighting battle after battle in his name, armed with her fear, frustration, loneliness and anger.

Mara drove the young girl across the Throne Room, her frustration at herself growing when she couldn't find another way. Raining blows down with her lightsaber, Mara finally saw an opening in the Hand's defense and struck. Her lightsaber slashed across the Emperor's Hand's left leg, severing it just below the knee.

As the Hand fell onto her back, screaming in pain, she brought the blade back to strike again. With the swiftness only a Jedi Master could muster, she slashed towards Young Mara's right hand severing it at the wrist, sending her lightsaber skipping across the floor.

Mara brought her lightsaber over her head, seeing only one way to put her past to rest, once and for all…

Luke saw the color fading from Mara's cheeks as she lay, tossing and turning on the ground a few feet away. Luke could sense her life fading before his eyes. He had tried everything he could think of by using the Force, to no avail.

"Please, you have to help her!" Luke yelled, jumping to his feet to face the Dark Woman. "There has to be something you can do!"

"I'm sorry, Master Skywalker, I can not," she said, her voice remained aloof and withdrawn. "They are on their own."

Luke turned back to his wife, again reaching out with the Force. He felt it again, the presence he had felt before. And, like his wife, it was dying as well…

Mara stared down at the wounded Emperor's Hand. She brought her hands forward to bring her blade down on the girl. As the blade began its movement, the blackbird flew from across the room, landing on the Hand's chest as the blade fell towards them.

Mara gasped, she used every last ounce of strength and Force energy within her to sway the blade's course. The blade impacted the floor mere inches from Young Mara's chest.

Mara's chest was heaving as she looking down at the bird. It cast its bright green eyes up at her, letting out a soft chirp. That single chirp seemed to pull at Mara's heartstrings. "What have I done? What was I about to do?" she muttered, looking down at the redheaded girl.

The Emperor's Hand looked up at Mara, defeat in her eyes. "Just finish it," she said, the pain in her voice cutting Mara like a vibroblade. "It is better this way. You have a new life, there is no place for me…"

Mara closed the blade of her lightsaber before tossing it away. "No. It is not better." As Mara stared at the girl, she began to realize that this headstrong, dark tempered girl, with the very questionable past was just as much a part of her as the woman Mara had grown into.

"Even though you are wounded," Mara said looking down at her. "Wounded by Palpatine, Vader and the rest of the evil you have seen in your life, you are still a part of me. A part I wouldn't give up for anything," she said leaning down to embrace her younger self in a loving hug.

At first the Emperor's Hand resisted. She relented after a moment, the tears freely flowing. The teenage assassin and the mature Jedi Master finally came to grips with one another on the floor of the Emepror's Throne room.

Mara Jade Skywalker awoke feeling very exposed. She glanced down to see that her robes had been removed and a blanket covered only her torso. She saw her legs were held apart and in the air by some soft vines. She felt as if someone had been jumping up and down on her abdomen. She recognized the feeling well, it instantly reminded her of the birth of her and Luke's first child.

More from instinct that conscious thought, she gave a heavy push. She felt a great sense of relief and heard an instant later the first breath of their child as it began to cry. She looked down again to see Luke kneeling between her legs, a smile twelve parsecs wide on his face. In his arms, he held their child. He wrapped the baby in a blanket and rose to his feet.

He pulled Mara's blanket down to cover her naked body as he moved around to bring the baby to her. "Well Mrs. Skywalker, let me introduce you to your daughter," Luke said, staring lovingly at his wife.

Mara's heart ached with joy as she took her daughter into her arms. She held and rocked her for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the infant opened her eyes to cast her first look at the galaxy. Mara gasped when she saw her eyes, a brilliant green. Just like her mother's.

The same eyes she had just seen in the Emperor's Throne Room. "Merula Skywalker," Mara murmured.

Luke smiled at her. "Merula, I like the sound of that." Luke wracked his brain trying to figure out what it could mean.

Sensing his dilemma, Mara spoke. "My little blackbird," Mara said to the baby, kissing her softly on the forehead. She turned to Luke. "It means blackbird."

Luke smiled and leaned in to kiss his wife. They held the kiss for a long moment, enwrapped in a feeling of love. Luke broke the kiss and took a step back. He slowly turned to the Dark Woman. Luke struggled for the words, not wishing to offend the Dark Woman.

"You are wondering why I have brought you here?" the Dark Woman asked.

"Brought us here?" Mara asked weakly.

"Yes, your ship failures were caused by me," the ghostly figure admitted. "It was necessary for one to come into the world here, to fulfill her destiny."

Luke thought back to his fateful descent to Dagobah to meet Yoda. He remembered how the Jedi Master had fouled his ship's instruments to guide him to their meeting. It appeared Yoda was not the only Jedi Master to be able to do such a thing.

Mara nodded. "I see." Mara hesitated before speaking again, regret and pain evident in her voice. "For what it is worth, I am sorry. I was young and foolish…" she said trailing off.

"The destiny in question is not yours Emperor's Hand. But one, passed from my generation to the next generation of Jedi," she said. "Your past is for you and yours to pass judgment upon. However, I will say that, I do not believe you would be wearing those robes if you had not changed from your days as Palpatine's servant."

Luke turned to look at Mara, trying to figure out if they were speaking of a specific act or Mara's service in general. Coming to no conclusion, Luke turned back to the Dark Woman. "You are speaking of our night on Ord Mantell?"

This time it was Mara's turn to be shocked. She stared up at Luke. "I thought…she was here for me."

Luke and Mara started at each other for a moment before the Dark Woman spoke. "I am here for one reason only, one that is linked to the night on Ord Mantell, Luke. There must be an heir to the traditions I introduced you to that night. That heir, or should I say heiress, is your daughter, Merula Skywalker."

Luke shook his head. "I don't understand."

"As I told you that night, the future is always in motion. Originally, I had planned on teaching you all I could about the Tantrick Force. However, my death prevented such plans. I needed a way to pass that on. I did that by forming a bond with you and linking myself to your future daughter."

Mara looked almost as confused as Luke as she listened to the Dark Woman. "That lightsaber you hold was mine, in life. It is now my gift to Merula," the Dark Woman said.

The Jedi Masters nodded solemnly. "Thank you," they said in unison.

"I will be there for her, as Obi-Wan was for you Luke, until she is Knighted. Our destiny's are now intertwined," the Dark Woman said. "Sadly, this will be the last time we see each other, Luke. Our destinies changed a long time ago, they now lie on a different path."

Luke nodded as the Dark Woman's form began to fade. "Thank you, Master," Luke said as she faded away. "May the Force be with you…"

Luke had just finished checking the ships systems and made a communication to Leia letting her know that he and Mara were all right. He had then checked the long-range sensors to make sure no Yuuzhan Vong were in the area and when he found no signs, he walked back to check on his wife and daughter.

He found Mara holding Merula on their bed, both of them wrapped in her favorite blanket. He reached out and stroked her hair, leaning down to kiss her softly. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired," she answered with a weary smile. He nodded, smiling at her. "But, I want to talk to you about a few things."

Luke shook his head. "You should really rest."

"No Luke, I really need to talk about this with you. I am fine and I really think we need to talk. A lot has happened today," Mara said, her voice shedding its weariness.

Luke nodded, so Mara began. "I have a long story for you, but first. How do you know the Dark Woman?"

Luke smiled, "Well, that's also quite a long story. But, the short version is, she was the first woman I was ever…with."

Mara's jaw almost hit the floor at his omission, then she smiled as a blush came to his cheeks. She chuckled and reached out to touch his cheek. Luke took her hand and snuggled against it, before giving her hand a gentle kiss.

"Well," Mara said shaking her head. "I can't wait to hear that story. However, mine starts with my first love…" Mara began as Luke sat down on the bed beside her, arranging himself to hold Mara and Merula long into the night as husband and wife explained the circumstances leading up to their very intense first day on Cophrigan V.


End file.
